


Guilty Pleasure

by Dystobia



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blood and Violence, Bottom Hatake Kakashi, Dirty Talk, Just another mafia boss obito AU, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Manipulation, Obito is fucked up, Top Uchiha Obito, a lot of smut, because there aren't enough of them, but so is Kakashi?, so is everyone in this fic tbh, with kakashi as a cop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:00:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 140,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25355878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dystobia/pseuds/Dystobia
Summary: “What will my mission be?”A smile slowly spreads across Minato’s face, ominous. “Your mission is to infiltrate Akatsuki, a notorious crime organization. Find out how they work and relate back any information to help us stop their illegal trades, and ultimately,” the man pauses as Kakashi watches him with apprehension. “Your goal is to get close enough to Akatsuki’s boss, Uchiha Obito, to nail him right in the head. He’s caught, and the Superintendent position is all yours.”“I accept.”
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 477
Kudos: 545





	1. Chapter 1

Kakashi had woken up with a smile on his face today.

It was supposed to be a good day, today. The day where he finally could go into the police station and get his badge - the day where he could officially become an officer. After almost a year of harsh and rigorous training at the police academy, he had finally graduated.

He had applied for the Criminal Investigation Division, and resolutely swore to himself to try as hard as he could to rise up the ranks quickly. He came here for a goal, after all, and at last, he could begin to take a step further to realize it.

It was supposed to be a good day, today.

At least, that is what he faintly thinks as he stutters out, “W-What?”

The officer before him, whose badge name glimmering on his chest says ‘Namikaze Minato’, lets out a small sigh. “You heard me, Hatake Kakashi. You are to be stripped of all your records and achievements. We’re not accepting you into our division, and you’re not accepted anywhere else, either. You won’t ever become a police officer.”

“W-Why? I don’t understand―”

“Or at least,” Minato says, interrupting him, “that is what the official records will say.”

Kakashi stares confusedly.

“What really happens is that I’m assigning you to go undercover.”

“Undercover?”

“Yes. I’ve been looking for the perfect person for this mission for awhile, and when I saw your profile, I knew you were the one. You passed with flying colors, Hatake Kakashi - you ranked first among over 500 students despite being the youngest, graduated with honors , and would’ve been assigned the position of an Inspector right away. You’re someone with much potential.” Minato stops to look at him with critical eyes. “And since you haven’t actually been made an officer yet, nobody has any data on you. You’re the perfect person for this mission, and I hope you’ll accept this.”

“What…” Kakashi starts, considering. “What will I get if I complete this mission? A quick promotion?”

“You’re straightforward and don’t butter your words, I like it.” The older man laughs lightly. “But yes, you would. If you complete this mission successfully, I will request for you to be promoted into a Superintendent right away. In our division, you’d be only second-in-command to me, the Chief Superintendent. Not bad for someone who just freshly graduated and hasn’t worked a field day in his life, huh?”

This is almost too good to be true, and Kakashi knows there has to be a catch somewhere. Still, no matter what that “catch” is, he doesn’t think he’ll let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “What will my mission be?”

A smile slowly spreads across Minato’s face, ominous. “Your mission is to infiltrate Akatsuki, a notorious crime organization. Find out how they work and relate back any information to help us stop their illegal trades, and ultimately,” the man pauses as Kakashi watches him with apprehension. “Your goal is to get close enough to Akatsuki’s boss, Uchiha Obito, to nail him right in the head. He’s caught, and the Superintendent position is all yours.”

“I accept.”

☩

“Sorry, kid. No card? No go.”

Kakashi sighs in frustration as he slides a hand through his silver locks. “No, I know someone in there. That’s the deal, right? You can get in if you get referred.”

The bouncer gives him a dubious look. “And who’s that someone you know?”

“It’s…” Kakashi pauses, grunting as he checks his phone again. Minato had given him the contact information of someone supposedly also an undercover cop working for Akatsuki, although his mission seems to be different than Kakashi’s. Nevertheless, he is going to be that connection to get Kakashi in. Kakashi can’t really do anything unless he gets accepted into Akatsuki, and the first step of that is to get inside Tsuki no Me.

The problem is, Minato had refused to give him the other guy’s name - just a phone number and a mug shot of what he looks like. Something about keeping the identity secret until they meet in case the other guy had used an alias. Kakashi hadn’t cared at the time, but he sure does now when the other guy refuses to pick up or answer any of his messages.

“Look, if I can just get in… I can find him, I know he’s here!”

The bouncer barks out a laugh. “You don’t think we’ve heard of that excuse before? _Everyone_ is trying to get into Tsuki no Me, not just you. Now scram.”

“No, damnit―”

“What’s going on here?”

Kakashi turns around as the bouncer immediately bows. Behind him are three guys, all dressed in expensive-looking suits, and Kakashi’s breath hitches as he takes in their faces.

He recognizes them all, through a computer screen as Minato was lecturing him on the Akatsuki members and their informations just a few days ago. He tries to steady his breathing as he stares at the man standing in the middle - he didn’t think he would be able to meet his very target so soon.

“B-Boss! Good evening!” the bouncer stammers. “There is absolutely no problem at all, sir! Just more kids trying to get into the club again with no cards.”

“Hmn.” Obito slides his gaze lazily to Kakashi, and then his eyes widen. “It’s you…”

“Huh?” Kakashi says, startling. Does Obito know him? He doesn’t recall ever having met the other, but. What if he has? What if he knows Kakashi is actually a cop? What if his cover is blown before he can even begin?

When he looks back, Obito’s expression is back to the original bored look he was sporting before, and it’s almost like Kakashi had imagined it. But he didn’t.

Did he?

Looking around, none of the others seem to react in any sort of ways, the two guys behind Obito looking off to the side, not even paying attention.

“Send him away. We can’t have kids loitering around the club entrance like this,” Obito says as he starts walking up the stairs, and Kakashi panics.

“W-Wait!” He says as the bouncer starts to grab his shoulders, forcibly directing him away. “I'm not a kid, okay? And I really do know someone there! If you would just let me in, I swear I’ll be useful to Akatsuki!”

Kakashi struggles as the bouncer shoves him out onto the street, gritting his teeth. He’s just about to go barge into Minato’s office and go on a tirade about how utterly useless his "connection" is, when a voice cuts through. “Why should I do that?”

Kakashi straightens up to find Obito looking down at him on the top of the stairs.

“Why should I let you in? Why should I give you this chance, hmn?”

Clenching his fist, Kakashi squares his shoulders and answers, “Because I’m good. And Akatsuki needs me.”

A slow smirk spreads across the other’s face as he says, “Alright.”

“B-Boss?” the bouncer asks as the two men behind Obito flit their eyes to him.

“You can get in,” Obito says, leisurely walking down the steps and ignoring his men’s questioning eyes. “Find that someone you know. Try out for Akatsuki, whatever you’d like. On one condition.”

Kakashi has known it was too good to be true. “What’s that?”

“In return,” Obito says, stopping in front of Kakashi. He reaches a hand out and cups the back of Kakashi’s neck, before jerking him harshly forward. With their faces mere centimeters apart, Kakashi can feel Obito’s breath tickling his skin as he murmurs, “I get to fuck you.”

Kakashi keeps still as gears start to turn inside his head. This is absurd―utterly ridiculous. Having sex with someone just to infiltrate? There is no reason he should do that, he’s a _cop_ for god’s sake. He’s sure Minato will be able to arrange another way for Kakashi to get into Akatsuki.

On the other hand, this is practically like handing him a golden spoon before he even lifts a finger, because the person offering it is Uchiha Obito―the very boss, the head honcho, of the organization. If he plays his cards well, Kakashi can get close to Obito already just through sex, find out his weak points, and catch him sooner than expected.

The thing is, is Kakashi willing to stoop low enough to have sex with a complete stranger just to do his mission?

“So what’s it gonna be, deal or no deal? I don’t have all night,” Obito breathes right onto his face, and Kakashi can smell the faint scent of alcohol, cigarettes, and something he can’t quite place.

 _Remember, you need to rise through the ranks quickly to get revenge. You’ve been waiting seven long years for this_ , Kakashi reminds himself.

Sucking in a breath, Kakashi looks up, staring at the other man straight in the eye, and says, “Deal.”

The word barely escapes his lips before Obito’s mouth crashes onto his.

☩

Kakashi tries to resist wiping his mouth as he is pulled into the club. He’s had a kiss or two back in his school days, but ever since the incident, he had been so consumed with graduating as quickly as possible with stellar grades that he had ignored all of his social life, including having a girlfriend or boyfriend.

None of the chaste kisses he’s had back when he was a teenager could’ve prepared him for this. Obito had a tight grip on the back of his neck, caging him in as he devoured Kakashi’s mouth that Kakashi was left gasping for breath afterward, saliva dripping past his lips and falling onto the asphalt before he had a chance to wipe it away, knees buckling under him.

“Do you know where he could be?”

Kakashi jolts as he snaps out of his thought, chastising himself for being so affected by a measly kiss, and looks at Obito questionably.

“The person you said you know,” Obito clarifies.

“No… But he said he’d be here tonight,” Kakashi answers, looking around the dark lounge flashing with neon lights. The bass is so loud that it’s making his eardrums throb, but that’s the least of his worries right now.

“What does he look like?”

“He’s…” Kakashi trails off, trying to recall for any distinctive features. “He’s about my height? And ah, he’s got orange hair and some piercing on his face or something.”

A flicker of recognition lights up inside Obito’s eyes, and the other asks, in surprise, “Yahiko?”

 _Is that what his name is?_ Kakashi wonders, panicking. Is that his real name or an alias? Kakashi doesn’t know. “I guess so, yeah.”

The other looks at him suspiciously. “You know what he looks like but not his name?”

Kakashi grunts. “Okay, so he was more a connection of a connection, someone I know through someone else. But he knows me, I swear! He won’t pick up his phone, though, that jerk.”

Obito’s gaze shifts into something more contemplative, as if he’s considering Kakashi’s words. “Not won’t, can’t. I had a sudden errand I needed him to run tonight, so that’s probably why.”

“Oh,” Kakashi says, suddenly feeling bad that he’s been cursing the other man, ‘Yahiko’, apparently, the whole night when he probably didn’t mean to stand Kakashi up.

“Hold on,” Obito says, letting go of Kakashi’s hand to fiddle with his phone instead, and Kakashi lets his now free arm hang awkwardly by his side. 

He had forgotten about their linked hands until the other let go.

Squirming, he looks around - there are so many people here, most of them in various clusters shouting and laughing as they play card games, smoking what is probably highly-illegal drugs, or engaging in numerous promiscuous activities. Kissing, grinding, groping, even blurry movements that look like they’re actually having sex, are all there.

Kakashi looks away in time to see Obito staring at him, before holding something out. “Is this…”

“Confirmed it with Yahiko. He vouched for you. So here, your bronze card. Congrats for joining the bottom rung of Akatsuki, Kakashi.”

Kakashi startles. “You know my name?”

Obito shrugs. “Yahiko told me.”

Kakashi tries not to grind his teeth. So much for planning to have an alias so they can’t trace back to his real name. He’s really going to need to have a talk with Minato later, superior or not, because his so-called “connection” is a dumbass that apparently knows Kakashi’s name and tells everyone it, but Kakashi wasn’t allowed to know his.

“You don’t look happy.”

“I am,” Kakashi says quickly, schooling his expression into something more eager. “It’s just, you know. Starting at the bottom and all. Kinda sucks.”

Obito simply smirks. “You won’t have to be at the bottom for long if you know the right people to bottom for.”

“What?”

“Now then,” Obito says suddenly, a thumb reaching out to rub at Kakashi’s lips. “I believe we had a deal, yes?”

Kakashi shudders, wanting to run away, but nods instead.

☩

For a moment, Kakashi thinks they are going to have sex right in the lounge, along with other couples, and Kakashi has to brace himself for not only having sex with a stranger, but having sex with a stranger for other strangers to see, too.

Thankfully, Obito has dragged him away into a corridor and led him inside a huge room that looks very sophisticated and clean, so in direct contrast with the garish, almost grimy atmosphere outside.

Before he can ponder further, he feels himself being thrown onto the massive plush bed in the center of the room. He barely has time to straighten up when he feels his two hands being pinned back onto the bed and Obito’s face coming into his vision.

Shutting his eyes and steeling himself, he is surprised when several seconds pass and yet nothing happens. Tentatively opening his eyes, he stares into Obito’s eyes boring into his own.

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course not,” Kakashi answers immediately.

“Really? Because it looks to me like you are,” Obito says as he lowers his head, but instead of Kakashi’s lips, he dips further down and nips at Kakashi’s neck instead.

Kakashi lets out a moan before he can stop himself. His hands struggle in response, wanting to cover his mouth, but the grips just tighten their holds on him.

“Don’t hide your moans, I want to hear them,” Obito murmurs against his skin, and Kakashi tries hard to keep still and not let his body tremble.

“One… One time,” Kakashi stutters out as Obito continues to suck at his neck.

“Hmn?”

“That’s our deal, right? You want to fuck me tonight?”

Obito pulls back, leaning his weight on his arms and staring down at Kakashi. “Is that what you want?”

“It’s what _you_ want,” he answers.

Obito just smiles lightly as he pushes himself off Kakashi, rocking back onto his heels. “Guess we’ll have to change that then, huh? Now get out of these clothes, Kakashi,” he says, tapping on the latter’s leg.

“You won’t change my mind,” Kakashi mutters quietly and starts to take off his clothes. It is… uncomfortable, to say the least. To be naked in front of someone he barely knows - a criminal he’s supposed to catch - and realize what is about to happen.

_You’re strong. You can do this. Your body is nothing compared to the pain you’ve felt all these years._

When he’s finally done, Kakashi looks up to see Obito getting back onto the bed holding a few things he can’t clearly see, before they’re set behind him as he pushes Kakashi back to lying on the mattress.

“Have you done this before?” Obito asks as his fingers ghost along Kakashi’s sides.

“Does it matter?”

Obito lets out a chuckle. “No, I suppose not,” he says before reaching back and grabbing a small bottle of lubricant, pouring them over his fingers.

Kakashi watches the sticky liquid sliding over the other’s fingers in apprehension. _Now is definitely_ not _the time to let nerves take over you, Kakashi_ , he mentally tells himself.

He jolts as his chin is tilted up by Obito’s other hand, lips pressing against his, and Kakashi reluctantly parts his mouth and lets the other in. Their tongues glide over each other’s slowly, sensually, so unlike their first kiss, that Kakashi finds himself lost in the sensation. 

He hasn’t even realized his hands are gripping onto Obito’s shoulders before he feels something pressing against him, inside him, _breaching_ him, and Kakashi lets out a gasp that gets swallowed up inside Obito’s mouth.

“It’s okay, it’s just a finger,” Obito whispers against his lips as Kakashi tries to control his breathing.

Truthfully, it hasn’t hurt, but it feels weird - he’s never had sex before, with women or men, and part of him wants to lament on giving up his virginity to this stranger―his _target_ , but the other part of him wants to tell himself that he doesn’t care―that this is the best course of action to be taken.

Kakashi breathes steadily as Obito pumps a finger in and out of him, before inserting another.

“You’re so tight… is this your first time?”

Kakashi grits his teeth and resolutely tries to ignore the question. Two fingers are… fuller, but it’s nothing he can’t handle.

That is, until Obito hits something inside of him that makes his breath hitches, hips lifting off the bed on their own accord.

“Found you,” Obito whispers, lips curling into a smirk as his fingers flit over that spot again, making white splotches splatter onto Kakashi’s vision.

“What―Stop―” Kakashi stutters as he blinks rapidly to focus his vision. He vaguely knows about how sex between men works, but he didn’t think it would feel so _intense_. His fingers digging into Obito’s shoulders would’ve drawn blood if it wasn’t for the button-up shirt Obito is wearing, and it hazily registers inside his mind that Obito hasn’t taken any of his clothes off yet.

“I guess my hunches were correct, you really are a virgin,” Obito says against Kakashi’s skin, sucking a hickey below his ear, and Kakashi can’t even find it in himself to protest as he lets out a moan as the other continues to press against that spot inside him.

“Enough, enough. Just―fuck me already,” Kakashi gasps, fists banging onto the other’s shoulders. He doesn’t think he can take more of this - the sooner Obito gets to fuck him, the sooner this will be over. He just wants this to be over, because this is triggering all sorts of sensations and responses within him that he never knew he was capable of.

Instead of Obito taking his fingers out, Kakashi lets out a sob as he feels another finger wedging inside him. “Please, I can’t―” he chokes as the three fingers spread out and drag against his walls, and he can feel the tears threatening to fall out of the corner of his eyes already.

“You’re so sensitive, I love it,” Obito murmurs huskily. “You said you won’t change your mind,” he says, fingers suddenly stilling.

“What…?” Kakashi blinks dazedly as he tries to catch his breath, and it is only after several seconds pass that he realizes what the other is talking about. _I guess he heard me earlier_ , Kakashi thinks. “Yes.”

“You begged me to fuck you just now.”

“Only because I wanted this to be over with,” Kakashi retorts, convincing himself that it’s true - he only wants Obito to fuck him so this will end faster, not because he actually _wants_ Obito to fuck him.

The other’s eyes narrow as he takes his fingers out, and Kakashi exhales slowly at the sensitivity.

Before Kakashi has time to react, he feels hands pushing the back of his thighs down towards his chest before Obito slams into him in one go.

“Fuck,” Kakashi wheezes as he tries to adjust to the length inside him. The three fingers did a good job stretching him out, but Obito is _big_. He feels his hands slide down to grasp onto the bedsheets, bunching them up.

“I’m going to make you change your mind,” Obito hisses against his ear, and Kakashi struggles to make out the words he’s saying through the overwhelming feeling of something, _someone_ , being inside him. “I’m going to fuck you so hard that you’ll be begging for it―begging for my cock. I’m going to ruin you so badly that all you can feel is my cock inside you for _days_ , and you’ll feel an ache that runs down your very veins and your own fingers won’t ever be enough.”

Kakashi struggles to gulp in oxygen as he stares, wide-eyed, at the man hovering above him, his body frozen at how explicit― _filthy_ ―the words being thrown at him are.

“I’m going to imprint myself inside you so much, that you physically can’t function without my cock inside you. That this won’t be a one time thing, because you’ll come to me, and you will beg. You will beg me to fuck you again.”

Kakashi shudders, breathing shakily out of his mouth. His voice cracks, but his eyes are determined as he stares up, meeting the other in the eyes. “No, I won’t.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Kakashi bites his lip as Obito slowly pulls out, fingers grasping onto the sheets to steady himself. He expects the other to be rough on him, so his eyes widen in surprise as Obito pushes himself back in, almost agonizingly slow.

He looks up to see Obito quirking his lips at him, as he thrusts in and out of Kakashi at a constant pace, never too fast or too hard. The frustrating thing is whenever he thrusts in, he will grind in a slow circle against Kakashi, barely hitting his prostate before pulling back again, and Kakashi has to clench his teeth to keep from moaning out of pleasure and frustration at the same time.

“Why…” he asks, trying to focus his eyes on the man above him. “Why are you going so slow? Why don’t you just fuck me?”

The other man raises an eyebrow. “I believe I am fucking you. And I’m allowed to do it anyway I want.”

“But—” Kakashi’s protest dies inside his mouth as he feels rough but warm heat enveloping his cock. He looks down to see Obito’s fingers curling around his member, stroking it languidly. The sensation from the brief grazes against his prostate and the hand at his cock gets too much for Kakashi, and he’s starting to see white spots permeating his vision. “I’m… I’m gonna com—”

Kakashi’s eyes bulge, letting out an audible gasp, as he suddenly feels… cut off. He stares in horror at a thin ring around his cock, effectively stopping him from his orgasm.

“Can’t have you coming too soon, huh?” Obito says, smirking at his handiwork as he smooths a finger around the tip of Kakashi’s cock, swirling the precome that have already collected there.

“Take it off,” Kakashi growls, face going red at being denied from coming when he was so close.

“Don’t think so,” Obito singsongs, still thrusting lazily into Kakashi. He leans down, lips brushing against Kakashi’s, and says, “Kiss me.”

And Kakashi, who still can’t think straight with Obito rubbing against that spot, too light a touch but constantly _there_ , parts his lips to let Obito in.

The kiss this time is dirty, Obito licking into every crevices inside Kakashi’s mouth, tongue diving deep like he wants to eat into Kakashi’s very core. Kakashi can feel saliva dripping out, sliding down his chin, and he’s starting to lose his breath. Bringing a hand up to pound at the other man to stop and let him up, he feels his arm being slammed back onto the mattress, gripped tight at the wrist as Obito continues to devour his mouth.

The other man finally pulls back, and they breathe heavily into each other’s mouth for a moment. Kakashi stares wildly up at Obito before he feels lips pressing against his again. His moan gets swallowed up inside Obito’s mouth as he feels a thumb swiping against his nipple, pinching it.

“Please…” Kakashi chokes, voice being muffled as Obito continues to nip at his bottom lip, licking a long strip up the curve of his jawline. “Please please let me come, I can’t take this.”

Obito finally straightens up, rocking back onto his heels, and Kakashi knows from the way the other’s eyes darken as he stares down at him that Kakashi must look absolutely _wrecked_ right now. There are tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, his mouth opened and breathing heavily, face flushed, and Kakashi finds that he doesn’t even care.

“Hmn… let me think about it,” Obito hums. “Nah, I don’t want to.” With that, Kakashi suddenly feels hands gripping the back of his thighs, resting his legs onto Obito’s shoulders, before the latter slams into him, hard.

And then he won’t stop. Obito continues to fuck into Kakashi at a brutal pace, pushing in long and deep before pulling out and immediately thrusting in again. Kakashi is moaning at every unsteady jerk, feeling the bed rock as his head keeps getting knocked against the headboard. Obito is angling his thrusts, making sure to press right at his prostate every time, and Kakashi is starting to feel faint from the unadulterated pleasure, so unlike anything he’s experienced before.

But. “Please, take it off,” he sobs, outright crying now with tears flowing freely down his cheeks - tears that he doesn’t even notice, doesn’t _care_ , because— “I need to come, oh, please please _please_ take it off let me come I can’t—” his voice breaks at a particularly harsh thrust, head thumping against the headboard, but he doesn’t notice that either.

Obito just slides a hand into his hair, smoothing the stray of silver strands that have fallen into his face back, before leaning down again. He slows down considerably, but still fucks into Kakashi roughly, grinding against his prostate. “You want to come?” he asks, voice low and gentle, like a caress, even though everything else he’s doing to Kakashi is anything _but_.

“Yes, please this is too much Obito I— _ah!_ ” he squeaks as Obito pinches his nipple—the same nipple he was playing with earlier—and then pulls away.

Kakashi is too incoherent over all the hazes of pleasure that it takes him a few seconds to realize that everything just, well. Stops. He blinks bleary eyes up at the man on top of him, to find Obito smiling—smiling _serenely_ —at him, and it takes him another few seconds to realize that Obito has stopped moving. He sits there, motionless, even though he's still buried inside Kakashi.

“I’m going to give you what you want, okay?” Obito says in an eerily sweet voice before Kakashi can voice out his confusion, and then reaches out and takes the cockring off.

Kakashi breathes out a sigh of relief, happy that he won’t be restricted anymore, before he takes in the silence of the room.

“What’s wrong, why are you looking like that? You wanted to come, didn’t you? Well, I’ve taken it off, so go ahead. You can come now.”

“Yes, but…” Kakashi says, blinking bewildered eyes at him. It’s true that he’s still very much hard, and the need to come is very much _there_ , but that’s just it. He needs to come, but _can’t_. He needs something—something _more_ … “Why aren’t you fucking me?” he blurts out.

Obito simply shrugs, and Kakashi almost moans at how the cock inside him moves slightly at that - moving, but not quite _enough_.

“Fine, if you’re going to be a dick,” Kakashi grumbles, reaching his own hand out to jerk himself off, when he feels both of his hands being pushed back into the mattress.

“Ah ah ah,” the other man tuts at him. “No touching yourself. That wasn’t part of our deal.”

“Our deal was you fucking me, and you’re not doing that,” he snarls.

“I am. I’m inside you, aren’t I?” Obito says, voice light, and makes his point by sliding in and out lazily. The thing is, this is even less than what he was doing at the beginning. Then, Obito at least made sure to push in all the way to hit against Kakashi’s prostate, no matter how slowly and briefly, but now, his movements are short - _too_ short - and Kakashi feels the cock drag against his walls, but not touching the one spot he needs it to the most.

 _This is torture_ , Kakashi thinks with a rising sense of hysteria. Being able to finally come and yet can’t, because Obito for some reason just stops fucking him—won’t fuck him _properly_ , and he’s—

Kakashi widens his eyes before narrowing it, glaring up at the other man. “This is your plan, isn’t it? You’re doing this on purpose so I’ll have to ask you to fuck me.”

Obito’s smile widens, still so saccharine it makes him sick. “I’m not forcing you to do anything. That wasn’t in my plans with you tonight, although we can try that later if you wish.”

“There won’t be a later, you ass— _aah…!_ ” Kakashi chokes on his words as he feels the slightest brush against his spot again, but it is gone as quickly as it has appeared, and all that’s left is a sense of emptiness. “You—”

“Hmn? I’m just doing my part of the deal, am I not?”

“Yes, but you’re not fucking me properly. It’s not—this is some lazyass shit—”

“You have such a potty mouth, Kakashi. It’s cute how you think you can look more intimidating by swearing at me, when I’m the one with my cock up your ass.”

Kakashi feels his face heat up at the words, a shudder coursing through him. He grits his teeth and refuses to say anything further, and that is that.

For what seems like _hours_ , Kakashi just lays there on the bed, cock angry and red, struggling to come and just get his release already, while Obito continues to passively rock into him, slow enough for Kakashi to feel his walls clenching against the intruder, but not deep enough to actually brush against his prostate.

It is driving Kakashi absolutely _insane_.

“Can you just—” he starts, scrambling for what to say.

“Yes? Can I what?”

“Can you actually do your job prope— _hnnrg…_ ” his words morphs into a keen as Obito pushes in roughly, hitting his spot for what feels like the first time in _forever_. “You… you bastard.”

“Really cute, Kashi.”

“Don’t call me that!” he spats, and then feels like crying as Obito goes back to the same agonizing motions again. “You… you’re an asshole, you know that?”

“Can’t be the boss of a thousand something people without being an asshole a few times in your life,” Obito replies, smirking.

Kakashi wants to snort at that, because—a few times? _More like a few million times_ , he thinks. But that’s not what matters here, at least not now. What matters is—what matters is— “Please…”

“Please what?”

Kakashi sucks in a breath, angry tears welling up. He hates himself right now, but if he doesn’t do this, he’s going to die from blue balls or something. He just wants to come— _needs_ to—

“Please, fuck me.”

“So you can get it over with? So you can be done and leave?”

“No,” Kakashi answers truthfully. He honestly doesn’t even care about leaving anymore, all that’s on his mind is that he needs that pleasure - that feeling that makes his vision go white and release. He needs— “Please fuck me because I want your cock.”

His eyes roll back as his head bangs the headboard again, the sudden harsh slam against his prostate making him let out a pitiful wail.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” Obito whispers against his ears, and, oh, when did he get so close? And more importantly, why isn’t he moving again?

“I want…” Kakashi rasps, his head spinning. “I want you to fuck me. I want your cock. I want you to fuck me hard oh please please _please_ fuck me hard I need to come—”

“Shh, it’s alright,” Obito soothes, placing a soft kiss at his temple. “Kakashi, come on, look at me.” Kakashi lifts his head up slowly to gaze at the other with teary eyes. He’s too far gone to notice Obito’s eyes soften as he murmurs, “Kiss me.”

And Kakashi does. He kisses Obito, _actually_ kisses him instead of just passively letting Obito kiss him like all the other times. He’s probably terribly inexperienced and he’s not sure what to do with his tongue inside the other’s mouth, but Obito’s tongue coaxes him gently and he tentatively starts to move around. And he must be doing something right if the pleased sound emerging from Obito’s throat is anything to go by.

“You’re a work of art, you know that?” Obito says, crooking a fond smile at him as he fixes the silver strands out of Kakashi’s eyes once more, and then pulls back.

And starts to fuck— _really_ fuck—Kakashi.

Kakashi feels out of his body, floating hazily above as Obito drives into him, fucking him just like he’s wanted—just like he’s _begged_ for—every thrust precisely hitting into Kakashi’s spot, and it feels so good. So, so good, so unlike anything Kakashi thought could be possible before, but is.

“You feel that, baby? Feel my cock in you? Feel it touching your most intimate places? Do you feel it, hmn?”

“Yes, yes I feel it,” Kakashi gasps out between thrusts, feeling his mind slipping away from him and that there is nothing left but a body, this body inside Obito’s grasp, Obito’s lips and hands touching him everywhere, Obito’s cock inside him, Obito’s words driving him mad. “It feels so good, oh god, harder, please—”

“Not god, _Obito_. Say it,” the other hisses, sucking on a spot behind his ear.

“Obito,” he says, voice choked. “Obito, please fuck me harder, I want it, I need it—”

“Shh, I’ve got you,” Obito murmurs, and slips a hand down to Kakashi’s cock, stroking him just _right_ , just that right amount of pressure, and—

Kakashi is gone.

His world blacks out for a moment, nothing but pure utter silence and darkness enveloping him. When he finally comes to, he blinks bleary eyes to see Obito smoothing the murky white liquid all over Kakashi’s stomach, his cock limp and satisfied.

“Feels good?”

Kakashi finds he can’t do much but nod.

“Good. Then you won’t mind that it’s time for _me_ to feel good, hmn? Just lie back and let me do all the work, okay?”

Kakashi wants to laugh because - hasn’t that been what he’s doing all this time? Obito was the one who did everything. But Kakashi finds he doesn’t mind, because the other clearly knows what he’s doing, and knows how to make Kakashi feel good, and—

Kakashi nods again, the thought of wanting Obito to feel good - to come - seeping through his mind even though it has no reason to be.

“Good boy,” Obito says, smiling and patting his head gently, and Kakashi feels exactly just that.

Like a good boy. Like he is Obito’s good little boy.

Before his mind can catch up to how… _amiss_ his train of thought is getting, everything fades away again as Obito starts to fuck into him again, hard and grueling.

Kakashi is honestly too sensitive from coming, every brush of the other’s cock against his walls making him faint, but he endures it because Obito deserves to come, too, he thinks.

Thankfully, it doesn’t last too long, Obito probably speeding his orgasm up on purpose for Kakashi, and he hears a grunt from the other before wincing from the way Obito’s fingers are digging into his thighs.

And then, Obito is coming. And Kakashi knows because he can actually _feel_ it, eyes widening in shock as he feels something warm flooding through him, spilling into his most intimate of places.

“Obito,” he whines as Obito slowly pulls out, still sensitive from everything, when he feels something pushing in again.

He stares in shock as he sees something sticking out of his hole, something pink and—and is Obito smirking at him right now? “What—”

“Little present for you for being such a good boy, Kashi,” Obito says, looking down to where Kakashi’s hole is still twitching, clenching around the new intruder. _A buttplug_ , Kakashi realizes with horror, _it’s a pink buttplug_. And it’s currently inside him right now. Oh _god_.

“You—You—”

“I told you, I’m not going to force you to do anything. You can take it out if you want.”

“Huh?”

“Or,” Obito says, voice suddenly dropping, a smooth timbre sound, velvety and seductive. “You can keep it in, and let it stay inside you. Let my _come_ stay inside you. Make it so that, every time you do _anything_ —sit, walk, eat, _whatever_ —you’ll feel my come sloshing through you, a reminder that my cock had been there, had made you beg me for more, had made you come so hard you blacked out.”

Kakashi lies there, frozen, as he feels lips brushing his ear everytime Obito speaks.

“And you’ll feel it—feel that emptiness of aching to be filled again. But it’ll be okay, because you’ll still have a part of me inside you - my come. And you’ll be full from just that, won’t you? Just from my come being inside your tiny little hole, keeping me with you—reminding you of _me_ , won't you?”

Kakashi lets out a whimper, lips trembling. He can feel the smirk curling on Obito’s lips against his skin.

“My pretty, pretty Kashi. Thanks for such an amazing night.”

Kakashi feels something slip into his palm, and looks up to see Obito zipping up his pants. Flashing one last smirk at him, he walks out the door.

Obito is gone.

Kakashi brings a shaky hand up as he looks at his palm. Inside, is a card, white and untainted save for a line of digit written in the middle.

A phone number.

Kakashi buries his face into the pillow, muffling all the wretched screams wracking through his body. For—for anger, for frustration, for—

For falling right into Obito’s trap. For actually feeling good. For wanting to do it again.

Trailing a quaking hand down his body, his fingers graze on the buttplug still attached to him—still _inside_ his body—and he lets out a groan.

Kakashi is fucked. He’s _so_ fucked.

In every sense of the word.


	2. Chapter 2

“Your connection is a dumbas―”

At the raised eyebrow on Minato’s face, Kakashi slows to a stop in front of the desk and stutters, “―my. Dummy. No. Dumbass. I will not stand for this!”

“What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem?” Kakashi repeats, looking at the other in indignant. "The problem is I almost got kicked to the curb because your so-called connection went MIA, and when I finally managed to get in - through no thanks to him, by the way - he revealed my real name to Obito so now everyone knows it and―”

“You met Uchiha Obito?”

“…Yes. He was at the club entrance. He let me in,” Kakashi answers, shifting his weight and hoping not to give away anything.

“Uchiha Obito personally let you in?” Kakashi cringes at the disbelieving look on his superior’s face. “Why?”

“Uh…” he trails off, wondering what to say. “I was causing a ruckus in front of Tsuki no Me, so he noticed me. When I described to him what your connection looked like, he recognized who it was and phoned him, therefore concluding that I was telling the truth.” There. He's technically not lying.

Minato still has a doubtful look on his face.

“Anyways, the point is―while Obito was talking about god knows what to your connection, your so-called precious _Yahiko_ had deemed it okay to reveal my real name to him. Like what the f―” at the stern look on the other’s face, Kakashi amended to “―why. What was he thinking?”

At this, Minato simply lounges back and shrugs. “It’s not a big deal. Obito’s information network is vast. Him knowing your real name saves us the trouble of creating a new identity for you, one with possible holes in it for him to poke at. I’ve altered your profile to include only up to after you graduated high school, and had you attended at some small college before you chose to drop out and ‘living the gangster life’, basically.”

“Yeah, but―”

“If it helps, Yahiko is using his real name, too. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you his name at first, in case he suddenly decides for a new name change recently or something. Knowing the guy, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Kakashi frowns. “He sounds unstable.”

Minato lets out a chuckle. “Not unstable. Just unpredictable and a bit _too_ spontaneous. It’s because of those traits that he makes such a good undercover, though. He’s very good at thinking up things on the spot.”

“If you say so,” he says with a frown still on his face.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s competent, I promise you.” Kakashi is about to protest on how Yahiko couldn’t be reached last night, when Minato continues on. “So you got into Akatsuki? Bronze card?”

Kakashi nods.

“That’s good. You can lay low for now. I’ll go check up with Yahiko and give you instructions on what to do later. I’ll ask him to take you on a small job to start off with, if possible.”

“Okay.”

“Well, that’s all. Good job on successfully completing your first step! You may be dismi―” A few knocks on the door cuts his words off, and Minato says, “Come in,” before the door opens.

Kakashi watches as a man walk in, shorter than him in stature but with a hard gaze in his dark eyes, making him look more intimidating than he should be. Kakashi stares, eyebrows knitting together as he watches the man passes him to stand before Minato’s desk, and finds himself unable to tear his eyes away.

Because the man, for some reason, looks… oddly familiar? Like he’s seen him from somewhere before, but how is that _possible_?

Minato spares a glance at the transfixed look on Kakashi’s face before clearing his throat. “Let me introduce you guys. This is Itachi, a Superintendent and my most trusted subordinate. Itachi, this is Kakashi, our newest rookie.”

Itachi turns around to face him with an undecipherable look. Kakashi finds himself squirming as he feels a headache coming, slowly pounding away at his brains. “Hello.”

“Oh, hi,” Kakashi says as he tries to blink rapidly to clear his already hazy vision. “Is it okay for him to know about me?”

“It’s fine. Itachi knows about you being undercover for Akatsuki,” Minato replies before giving him a concern look. “Are you okay? You’re looking really pale.”

Kakashi shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. I’ve just had a long day yesterday, that’s all.”

“That’s true. You’ve worked hard yesterday. Go home and get some rest, okay? Watch out for instructions later.”

Kakashi gives a bow to his superior and a small nod to Itachi before he walks out the door. The elevator barely closes behind him when he already has a hand digging into his pocket, taking out a small bottle of pills. Slumping against the metallic wall, he punches in for the lowest floor and gulps down two capsules, dry.

Exhaling slowly, he can already feel the effect. His headache is starting to subside.

☩

It’s been three days since and Minato hasn’t given him anything other than a small message to “lay low”. Kakashi sighs as he stares listlessly at the wall and decides to do a house clean-up to distract himself.

It’s when he’s putting laundry into the washing machine that he hears a clatter on the floor from something dropping out. Looking down, Kakashi freezes as he stares at the object on the ground.

It’s the buttplug.

Kakashi bites his lips as he remembers that night. After he had taken the toy out with trembling fingers, a gasp escaped his lips as he felt the liquid dripping out from his own entrance, staining the bedsheets. He had laid there for what felt like _hours_ , trying to regain his breathing and not feel like all his limbs had turned into mush, not in control of his own body.

How he had tried not to shift because every slight movement reminded him of what was inside him just moments earlier. Of how good it had felt. Of how hard he had begged.

Reaching a shaky hand down, his fingers brush over the object―vivid proof of what had happened that night.

“ _I’m going to make you change your mind,_ ” Obito had said.

Kakashi hates himself.

☩

Kakashi is staring blankly at the TV screen. After snapping and flinging the toy at the wall, he's left the laundry room in a huff and has been curled up on the couch since.

The memories won’t leave his mind.

_“Kakashi, come on, look at me.”_

_“Kiss me.”_

_“You feel that, baby? Feel my cock in you? Feel it touching your most intimate places? Do you feel it, hmn?”_

_“Good boy.”_

Good boy.

That was what Kakashi had felt then―a sense of pride, _happiness_ at how he was able to satisfy Obito. Because Obito had made him feel so good, and Kakashi had wanted to give a little of that back.

 _I’m so fucked up_ , Kakashi bemoans, a bitter laugh leaving his mouth.

Just as he’s contemplating to take some sleeping pills to maybe sleep these wretched flashbacks away, his phone rings.

Puzzled, he takes the phone into his hand and looks at the screen. Unknown Caller.

“…Hello?”

“Yo! Is this Kakashi?”

“Uh, yes. Who is this?”

“It’s Yahiko, hello!”

Kakashi frowns - he doesn’t really have any good impressions of Yahiko so far. “Did Minato finally have instructions for me?”

“Minato? Nah. I mean, yeah, he told me to show you the ropes, so I guess that’s what I’m doing. But this is all Akatsuki. Words from above, you know.”

“What?”

“The boss wants me to take you on a job. Okay, not really a job because you won’t be doing much. So sight-seeing, I guess.”

“The boss? Minato has a job for me?”

“What? No. The boss, as in, you know, Obito. Akatsuki’s boss. My boss. Your boss.”

“Fake boss,” he corrects. “You call our superior ‘Minato’ but you call Obito ‘boss’ even in casual conversations where you don’t have to remember formalities when speaking about him?”

A huff of annoyance can be heard from the other line. “Look, when you’ve been working under Akatsuki for years and call Obito ‘boss’ basically everyday of your life while you only see Minato for like once a month, it all starts to blur after awhile.”

 _So Yahiko’s been working as an undercover for years_ , Kakashi deducts as he purses his lips. “Alright. So what does Obito want me to do?”

“Like I said, sight-seeing job! Watch how we do things. Get a feel of Akatsuki, and all that jazz. I’ll pick you up at six tonight, okay?”

Kakashi widens his eyes, surprised it is on such close notice. “Oh, alright.”

“Great!” Yahiko cheers, before voice lowering to a smooth octave. “By the way, so how’s it going with you?”

“Huh?”

“You got approved into Akatsuki by Obito, _personally_. Rumors and gossips spread fast, you know, especially when it involves the boss, himself.”

“…What are you trying to say?” 

Yahiko hums, and Kakashi can almost feel the smile on the other’s lips as he says, “Word has it you’re the boss’s latest… _interest_ , so to say. Didn’t you guys put on quite a show outside Tsuki no Me for anyone to see?”

“Whose fault do you think that is?” Kakashi growls. “If a certain connection actually did his job properly, I would’ve gotten into Tsuki no Me without having to resort to that.”

“Hey hey, I’m not like, chastising you or anything. In fact, I have to commend you on managing that. Sure as heck pushed forward your mission by quite a few steps already. I spent nearly half a year just trying to get into Akatsuki from scratch alone, you know.”

 _Yeah, congratulations to me, for willing to sell out my body just to finish my mission faster_ , Kakashi thinks bitterly. “Whatever. You mind your job and I mind mine, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Yahiko singsongs. “Well, alright. I’ll come by your house at six then. Be ready, okay?”

Kakashi grunts and hangs up. He doesn’t even bother asking the other how he knows where Kakashi lives.

☩

Yahiko in person is even more bizarre and, well, _weird_ , than Yahiko from Minato or Obito’s words or Yahiko on the phone. He’s a very jittery person, easily excitable, a grin almost always present.

Kakashi is unnerved by him.

They get into a car―a sleek black, expensive-looking convertible that Kakashi guesses is thanks to his fake job working for Akatsuki rather than due to Yahiko’s actual job as a cop, and Yahiko starts driving to who-knows-where.

They pull into a stop half an hour later, in which Kakashi is glad for, since Yahiko just won’t shut up about random, trivial things throughout the drive. Kakashi looks up to see a giant warehouse, rusty and ominous-looking.

“What are we going to do here?”

“You’ll see!” Yahiko says, a wide grin on his face as he trots ahead, Kakashi following silently behind.

“Hey, Yahiko, you’re here!”

“Hello!” Yahiko exclaims, rushing forward to bump fists with the two people inside the vast room. There are couches set in the center with a table in front, various stuff on them too far for Kakashi to make out properly, but otherwise the room is empty.

“So is this that _special person_ we’ve been hearing about?”

“Yup!” Yahiko says, pushing Kakashi forward with a hand. Kakashi grumbles at the other man before straightening up, gazing at the two men before him and identifying them.

The red-haired he knows as Sasori lets out a whistle. “Damn, what a catch. No wonder.”

The blond, Deidara, laughs lightly. “You should’ve seen the boss and him on that night, then.”

“Oh, you were there?” Yahiko asks.

“Yeah,” Deidara replies before flashing a grin at Kakashi. “Though Kakashi here might not have remembered me due to his attention being slightly, ah, _occupied_ by our boss.”

Kakashi scowls. “I remember you. You were one of the two with Obito that night.”

“Aww, our newest fledgling remembers me, I’m so honored,” the other man says, reaching out a hand to ruffle at Kakashi’s head. It looks ridiculous, really, since the other is shorter than him, and Kakashi’s scowl deepens.

“Look at him pouting, what a cute kid.” Sasori caws.

“I’m not a kid―”

“He may not look like it, but he’s a quite a lot older than you, Kakashi. And trust me, with how green you are, you might as well be a little kid to us,” Yahiko cuts in easily, a hand leaning on Kakashi’s shoulder. “Well, let me belatedly introduce you guys. Kakashi, the short one here is Deidara, and the other short one is Sasori―”

“Excuse you―”

“―aka the two heads in charge of drug trafficking in Akatsuki. Otherwise known as the loaded ones thanks to how ridiculously pricey our drugs are. They house all the wealth man, it’s really unfair. If I had known you’d make big bucks just by simply selling powdered bags, I’d have signed up for this job instead―”

“―as if you’re so poor, Yahiko. You think I didn’t see that Maserati parked in the front when you pulled up?”

“―Anyways,” Yahiko concludes, and Kakashi guesses that between the three of them, they probably all have this love-hate relationship with each other. “Guys, this is Kakashi, but I’m sure you know that already.”

“You’ve made quite a big splash in Akatsuki, catching the boss’s attention like that,” Deidara says with a glint in his eyes.

Kakashi shuffles awkwardly. “Right. Nice to meet you guys.”

Sasori barks out a laugh. “Oh gosh, he’s so cute, can we keep him?”

“Only if the boss doesn’t want your head on a silver platter at that statement,” Yahiko answers happily.

Kakashi tries to keep his expression neutral while he is confused out of his mind inside. This… frankly isn’t what he’s expected. Isn’t Akatsuki supposed to be a notorious crime organization filled with, well, scary and creepy people? The exchange going on before his eyes seems like three college guys joking around while introducing a new student to their group, instead.

“Enough talk, I’m sure Kakashi here is bored of us old banters,” Deidara interrupts, guiding him towards the table. “Let me show you the good stuff.”

Upon walking closer, Kakashi realizes there are a few dozen bags spread out on the long, rectangular table.

“True, true,” Sasori agrees, him and Yahiko making their way over as well. They’re all seated on the couches, gaze on the table. “Here, try this,” he says, picking up a small paper packet and throwing it at Kakashi’s lap. “You’ll feel good, promise.”

Kakashi spares a glance at Yahiko, who only nods back, and bites his lips. He guesses sacrifices have to be made for him to seem believable, including harming his own body by taking illegal substances in an act to "fit in" with the others.

Unfolding the paper packet reveals a small mount of white powder inside. Sucking a breath, he brings the paper up to his lips and deftly slides the powder into his mouth.

“Congrats,” Sasori cheers. “You’ve just swallowed what is worth around one million won inside your stomach.”

Kakashi doesn’t feel very proud about that at all, but he gives a small nod anyways.

“You guys started without me?”

The room is utter silent after a new voice cut in―a voice that sends shivers down Kakashi’s spine―a voice he can still hear echoing as it whispers filthy things in his ears.

A voice Kakashi hasn’t been able to get out of his head since that night days ago.

“Boss!” Yahiko exclaims, grinning and giving a wave.

“Hey,” Obito replies, making his way to them. He sits down on Kakashi’s other side, making the latter squished between Sasori and him.

“Sorry, you were taking too long. Where’s Kisame?” Sasori questions.

“In the car, sleeping,” Obito says, shrugging as Kakashi tries to keep very still when the other’s shoulder brushes his at the movement. “Says he’s tired and doesn’t want to be around you three loudfucks and damaging his eardrums, in his exact words.”

“Asshole,” Deidara comments lightly.

“So what’s up?”

“Nothing much. Just giving Kakashi here a taste of our newest drug. Want to try one, boss?”

Obito gazes at the offered packet before sliding his eyes at Kakashi, who’s trying to look anywhere _but_ at the man to his left right now. “Sure,” he replies, grabbing the packet and dropping it off inside Kakashi’s lap. “Feed it to me, Kakashi.”

Kakashi jolts, eyes widening as he turns to face the other, and―so close, he’s _too_ close. Kakashi hasn’t realized Obito’s face has been mere _centimeters_ from his. “What?” he croaks out.

“Feed it to me,” he repeats.

Kakashi winces as he glances around him. The other three have amused looks on their faces, including Yahiko, and are watching him with interest. Kakashi looks down to the small paper packet in his lap and purses his lips.

He's in Obito’s territory. Kakashi guesses he better do what Obito wants him to do.

Opening the packet, Kakashi gingerly lifts it up and about to pour it into Obito’s mouth when the latter speaks, “No. Feed it to me by mouth.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I don’t like repeating myself, Kakashi,” Obito admonishes.

Kakashi gulps visibly, brain going into overdrive. “T-This is powder. It’ll melt in my mouth before I can transfer it to you,” he tries to protest.

Obito simply gives him a sickly sweet smile. “Then I guess you’ll have to be quick then, huh?”

“But…” Kakashi trails off, not knowing what else to say.

“I don’t like being kept waiting, either.”

Kakashi breathes in shakily as he tries not to blanch. Biting his lip, he narrows his eyes before spilling the entire content onto his waiting tongue. Turning around, he grips a hand onto the other’s shoulder before smashing their lips together, tilting to dribble whatever’s left of the powder into Obito’s mouth.

What he doesn’t expect is a hand snaking its way around his waist, slamming him against a firm chest as Obito’s other hand curls fingers around the back of his neck, pulling their faces impossibly closer as Obito licks his way into his mouth in a deep kiss.

Obito makes sure there are no traces of Kakashi’s left untouched as his tongue glides everywhere inside the latter’s mouth, melting away the last remains of the powder drug.

When Obito finally allows them to break apart, Kakashi unthinkingly slides his head down to rest on the other’s chest, trying to desperately gulp in oxygen. His head is spinning and the gentle fingers stroking his nape don’t help.

“Whooot~ Looks like I made it just in time, huh? Damn, what a show!”

Kakashi snaps his head out in shock to stare at the entrance. There are two people standing there, the woman cheering loudly while the man stares off to the side, looking bored.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be on your missions?”

“I was,” the woman answers. “But then I heard news of an interesting, pretty little _thing_ appearing, so I finished my mission super fast to get back here as quickly as I could! Annnd, I wasn’t disappointed,” she says with barely hidden glee in her voice.

“Don’t look at me,” the man grunts. “I happened to finish _my_ mission early because I’m _me_ , and met her on the way back. Unfortunately, I got dragged along with her.”

“Whatever, as long as you finished your jobs,” Obito says, waving them off. “Well, now’s a good time as any to introduce you guys, I suppose. Kakashi.”

Kakashi blinks as he turns his attention back to Obito, who’s looking at him with an amused glance.

“Meet Nagato and Konan, our top two _killers_ in Akatsuki. You want a man dead? There won’t be anyone who does as quick and as _perfect_ a job as these two, trust me.”

Obito watches as Kakashi stiffens at his words, and slowly, a smirk spreads across his face. 

The way Konan is staring at Kakashi unnerves him.

According to Minato’s information, Nagato is Akatsuki’s number one assassin. The way Konan is looking at him right now, though… it feels more like Konan is the scarier of the two with that almost maniacal grin on her face.

“Hey, you’re scaring the new kid,” Sasori calls out from beside him.

Konan blinks her eyes to the other, toning down her expression to a sweet smile that actually doesn’t look all that sweet at all. “Am I? Am I scaring you, Kakashi?”

“Of course not,” Kakashi replies, jutting his chin out defiantly.

There’s a bark of laughter on his other side as Obito’s shoulders shake with amusement. “Kakashi here isn’t scared of anything. Except maybe denied gratification.”

Kakashi feels his face heating up as all pairs of eyes look at him with curiosity. Gritting his teeth, he says, “I’m not scared of anything, period.” He pauses to glare hard Obito. “ _Including_ you.”

Someone whistles at his words but Kakashi’s eyes are trained firmly on the boss. He is not weak. Nor scared. Nor _anything_ , okay.

Obito simply tilts his head and regards him. “Sure you aren’t,” he says, then leans closer, lips brushing against his ears. “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I think that’s enough happy family gathering for one night,” Obito announces suddenly, standing up, and―to Kakashi’s horror―pulling the latter’s arm up along with him.

“What are you―”

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you, Kakashi. Come with me.”

“But―I came here with Yahiko―” He searches wildly around for Yahiko and finds the other man standing off to the side, gazing cooly at him.

“ _The boss_ wants to see you privately,” Yahiko says, emphasizing on the first two words, as if in warning. “What do you want to do?”

‘What do you think you _should_ do?’ Yahiko’s eyes seem to be telling him, and Kakashi guesses that the other is right. He’s technically just a lackey―he has no rights to deny Obito of anything. Heck, he doubts anyone else, including Yahiko, will be able to deny Obito of anything he’s asked for them to do.

He sees a tint of worry in Yahiko’s eyes, though, silently conveying to him that he will try to bail Kakashi out of this if he really wants, and Kakashi thinks that maybe the other cop isn’t as bad as he had originally thought he was, and nods.

“I guess I’ll go, since he has something to discuss with me,” he answers blandly.

He hears a snort from Deidara, as if the other man is laughing at how Kakashi answers like he has any _choice_ in the matter.

Kakashi supposes he doesn’t. Not really.

So he lets himself be dragged by Obito out the door.

☩

It’s a long drive to wherever the other plans to take him to. After shoving him inside the limousine, Obito has surprisingly kept his hands to himself, leaving Kakashi to fidget in his seat. The partition of the vehicle disallows him to see the driver, though he guesses that it’s probably Kisame given the other’s words earlier.

The car stops eventually and Obito signals for him to get out to stand in front of a building. Calling it a mansion is an understatement - _castle_ is more like it. Even through the darkness of the night, he can see how high and vast it is, made entirely of reflective one-way glass that only lets one sees from the inside.

After the machine at the front scans both Obito’s eye and fingerprint―top-notch security, Kakashi will have to keep this in mind―they step inside and Kakashi is promptly greeted by an honest-to-god two stories high _waterfall_ in a corner of the living room, a spiral staircase nearby.

The place is something straight out of a fairy tale book, only modernized.

“You’re so cute.”

“What?” Kakashi snaps his head back at the remark, eyes wide. “I’m not,” he denies automatically.

“You are. You’re like a little kid seeing cake for the first time. You have stars in your eyes,” Obito observes, quirking his lips.

Kakashi scowls. “I’m not. It’s just. This―this is a really nice place, that’s all.”

Obito hums and walks to the couch, sitting down. “It is, isn’t it?”

Kakashi nods, huddling next to a wall and twiddling his fingers together. “So what do you want to discuss with me about?”

Obito takes a moment to pour himself a glass of wine set on the table in front of him, before answering, “Why did you never call?”

“What?”

“Is that the only word you can say to me? You won’t get very far in Akatsuki like that.”

“No,” Kakashi replies, scowling again. “It just takes me by surprise, that’s all. And I never called because… I didn’t want to.”

“You didn't want to,” Obito repeats, gazing at him.

“Right,” Kakashi answers, willing his body to not squirm under those eyes.

“Did you not like our night together?” Obito asks, breaking away to take a sip of his drink. “Did I not fuck you good enough?”

Kakashi chokes, hands fisting into the shirt he’s wearing. “That―That doesn’t matter. Our deal was one night. We had that. I assumed we were done.”

“Do you _want_ to be done?”

Kakashi looks away, eyes landing on the koi fish at the bottom of the waterfall. “Of course.”

“Kakashi,” Obito calls. “Look me in the eye and tell me you haven’t thought about me at all after that night. That you haven’t thought about my cock up your ass, filling you real nice and good. That you haven’t looked at the buttplug and considered putting it inside yourself. You’re stubborn―you won’t. But I bet you’ve thought about it.”

“Why do you―” Kakashi exhales, breaking off. “Why do you keep saying things like that?”

“Because it’s true. Kakashi, look at me.” Kakashi hesitantly lifts his eyes up to stare at the other, breath hitching at the intense look he is given. “Hold my gaze and tell me you don’t want me, at all. I’ll let you leave. I’ll tell Kisame to drive you back.”

Kakashi bites his lip, unable to hold the gaze as his eyes slide down to his feet instead. “What do you want from me?” he whispers, shoulders slumping.

"Kakashi, come here."

With reluctant steps, he walks over to the couch and stands in front of the other. He’s barely able to say anything before he feels hands tugging his, pulling him down to kneel on his knees between Obito’s spread legs.

Obito lets go of one of his hands and settles it onto Kakashi’s head, pushing the latter’s face down. Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut, breath unsteady as his nose and lips come into contact with Obito’s jeans, his obvious bulge straining against it.

“Did you miss it?” Obito murmurs.

Kakashi clamps his mouth shut.

“Tell me, did you miss my cock, Kakashi?” Obito punctuates with a shove, mushing Kakashi’s face further into his crotch.

“I… I―” Kakashi wheezes, head spinning.

Obito slides his other hand under Kakashi’s chin, tilting his head up to look at him. Kakashi involuntary shudders at the piercing gaze directed at him. “Answer me,” he says, a warning.

“I…” Kakashi drops his head, eyes falling back down. They’re so close, Obito’s hands are still touching his face, holding him in place, and he can practically smell the musky scent of the other man’s, the trace of precome staining the jeans and it’s right by his face, so _close_ ―Kakashi can’t think straight, he can’t _breathe_ , and―

There’s a sigh from above. “Alright, if you can’t say it outloud, then _show_ me how much you miss it, Kakashi.”

Kakashi brings quivering eyes up to him as Obito lazily unbuttons his jeans, tilting his chin to gesture at him. “Go on.”

Sucking in a breath, he brings trembling fingers up and pulls the zipper down, the head of Obito’s member already exposed against his underwear. “You want me to―”

“―Be a good boy for me and show me how much you miss my cock, Kashi,” Obito finishes for him.

Kakashi can’t even bring himself to protest at the nickname, vision going hazy at the mention of being a _good boy_ for Obito. He tentatively pulls the underwear down, Obito’s member springing free from constraint, standing tall and erect, a nice shade of red with precome already gathering at the tip.

“This was what made you feel so good that night. Show it some love, yeah?”

Kakashi licks his lip, thinking about how this is the first time he’s actually seeing it with his own eyes instead of just _feeling_ it, and closes his eyes. The hand on the top of his head slides down to his nape, gently shifting him forward, and Kakashi lets himself be moved until his lips kiss the head.

“Go on,” he hears Obito repeats from above, and squeezes his eyes shut before parting his lips, letting Obito’s cock inside his mouth.

It feels… weird, not unlike how it had felt when Obito’s finger pushes inside him for the first time. Slowly, he swirls his tongue along the length, hallowing his cheek and sucking at the head, before letting more drive inside.

“That’s it, you’re doing good. You’re giving it so much love, aren’t you?”

Kakashi narrows his eyes in concentration, sucking at the intruder inside his mouth as he lets it slide in and out of his lips at Obito’s guidance from the hand at his nape.

“Yes, you’re doing so well,” Obito murmurs, smoothing a finger at Kakashi’s left cheek where his cock is protruding out, stretching the skin. “You’ve missed it, didn’t you? You've missed the feeling of having a cock inside you, didn’t you? You’ve been aching for it, haven’t you?”

Kakashi makes a noise at the back of his throat, unable to say a thing as Obito’s cock continues to rock in and out of his mouth.

“Answer me, Kakashi,” Obito hisses, thrusting in roughly, nearly choking him in the process.

Kakashi widens his eyes in shock, spluttering as he tries to pull away, but can’t due to the grip at his neck. Helpless, he nods weakly, and is rewarded with a smile from the other man.

“Good. Then let me try something, okay?”

Kakashi looks at him dubiously, but nods again.

“Good boy,” Obito says. The hand at the back of his head then pushes him until he slides down the length, nose buried at the patch of hair at the base as the head pushes deep inside his mouth, tip touching the back of his throat.

He feels his eyes sting with tears as he tries to breathe through his nose, to not choke, to not push away, for―for what?

“You’re so good,” Obito is saying. “You’re so good for me, Kakashi.”

Kakashi is starting to feel a distorted sense of pride at the praise when fingers clutch harshly onto his nape as Obito pulls out and slams in, cock nudging deep against his throat before pulling back out and repeating it again.

Kakashi’s fingernails dig half-circles into Obito’s thighs as he struggles to breathe, vision spinning wildly as his head hangs limply, allowing Obito to fuck into his mouth at a brutal pace. The tears are flowing freely down his cheek, and he wants to gag at the feeling of something touching so _deep_ down his throat, painful and suffocating, but all he does is grip at Obito’s legs and let the cock abuses his mouth any way it wants to.

Because―Because―“You’re such a good boy, Kakashi, so good for me. Were you made just for me to fuck, hmn? In your little hole or your little mouth with pretty, pink lips. Were you made just for my cock, Kakashi?” Obito keeps murmuring, the words ringing in his ears, the _only_ thing Kakashi can focus on as his vision blurs and swirls.

“Look at your pretty little lips struggling to wrap themselves around me, trying to take in more of my cock. So pretty, so _perfect_. You’re so good for me, Kakashi, such a _good boy_ ,” he keeps repeating as his hand keeps pushing Kakashi’s head and pulls him further down his cock.

Just when black splotches are starting to permeate his vision, and he feels the last breath of air leaving him, Obito suddenly says, “Open wide,” and pulls out.

Kakashi barely has time to react before he feels a sticky liquid splattering everywhere on him―on his face, some catching on his eyelashes and some leaving a trail from the bridge of his nose down to his cheek. The rest is staining his lips, a few droplets sliding inside and onto his tongue while most of it drips down his chin, falling down onto his collarbone.

Obito has just come all over his face, and Kakashi’s―Kakashi’s an utter _mess_.

A whimper manages to leave his throat before he’s pulled up, Obito lifting him into his lap, straddling him, and then the other is licking his face clean, tasting his own come.

“So beautiful,” Obito whispers, giving him a deep kiss that has Kakashi gasping for breath once they break.

“You―You―”

“Shh, it’s okay. I haven’t forgotten about you, I promise,” he hushes before palming at Kakashi’s crotch.

 _That’s not what I meant at all_ , Kakashi wants to say, but all he can do is let out another whimper as Obito deftly unzips his pants and is already wrapping a hand around his length, stroking him.

“Look at how hard you are,” Obito hisses in his ear, biting on the lobe. “Did it turn you on to have a cock in your mouth, Kakashi? Did me fucking your mouth get you hard? You liked it, didn’t you?”

Kakashi just sniffs, head dropping onto the other’s shoulder as he gasps for air, the taste of Obito’s come still lingering on his tongue.

“Tell me, you _liked_ it, didn’t you?” Obito demands loudly, thumb pressing down onto Kakashi’s slit, making the latter cries out.

“Yes, yes, I like it,” he wheezes. “I like to make you feel good. I like being a good boy. I like being good for _you_ ,” he confesses unthinkingly before biting down hard on his lip at the realization of what he’s just said.

 _I’m really fucked up_ , his mind blearily thinks before the other’s hand is back to stroking him.

Obito is nibbling on a sensitive spot behind his ear as his other hand is rubbing on Kakashi’s nipple. Adding to the fingers around his cock, jerking him just right, and the latter is coming in no time, spilling all over both of their shirts.

Kakashi feels like he’s going to blackout at any moment as he collapses his entire weight onto Obito’s, fingers trailing long scratches at the other’s skin even through the fabric.

“You did so well,” Obito says, voice gentle, and drops a kiss onto his temple.

Kakashi continues to sob silently, not because he’s in any pain, per se, but because he’s just so overwhelmed, so _confused_ , and he doesn’t know what―“What do you want from me?” he chokes out against the other’s shoulder.

Obito hums, sliding a hand up and down Kakashi’s back like he’s trying to comfort him, to soothe him. “I told you, I’m going to make you change your mind.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to let you go. Because I want you to want me.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you.”

Kakashi clenches his eyes shut. “Why?”

At this, Obito pulls him back to give him a crooked grin. “Why _not_?”

“I’m―I’m just. An underling. A nobody. You could’ve―had anyone. You can do anything, you―”

“If I really can do anything, then I want to do _you_. You, Kakashi.”

Kakashi sucks in a breath.

“Tell me, do you want me, too?”

Exhaling steadily, Kakashi gives the slightest of nod before Obito leans forward, stealing his breath away in a slow, sweet kiss.

Kakashi misses the brief smirk on Obito’s face before he closes his eyes and kisses him back.

☩

Obito is at his desk, looking through some documents when his phone rings. He grins as he sees the caller ID.

It’s a Blocked Number.

“Yes, hello.”

“Stop spamming my email,” is the voice he hears hissing on the other line.

“It’s the only way to get your attention, since you kept ignoring my calls.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to pick up your calls. I’m busy.”

“Of course you are,” Obito replies, twirling a pen in his hand.

“I am. So make it quick. What do you want?”

Obito leans back, head resting on the back of the chair. “I’m sure you know what I want to talk about,” he says casually.

There’s a pause from the other. “No, I don’t.”

“Sure you do,” he replies easily. “But alright, fine. Let me make my question more specific. Is he doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

“He must’ve known, right? He was there. Heck, that’s the reason why he l—”

“Stop,” the other interrupts. “What do you want?”

“Kakashi,” Obito says casually, and smirks when he hears a sharp intake of breath from the other line.

“He’s not—”

“Did you think I wouldn’t recognize Kakashi? _Is he doing this on purpose_?” Obito repeats, voice dropping an octave, eerily cold.

“Look, nothing’s going to change. I’m going to keep—”

“I don’t care what _he_ has planned, but it’s your wrong move.”

“It’s not mine, for god’s sake—”

“I don’t care,” he restates, hissing. “All I know is it’s your loss. Because I want Kakashi.”

“Why would you want him, he’s—” A gasp. “Don’t tell me you still remember—”

“Yeah, about that. It seems as if Kakashi truly doesn’t remember. But it’s fine, because _I_ do, and,” Obito murmurs, eyes flashing, “I’ll be waiting.”

“Obi—”

Obito hangs up the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the feedback! A lot of people seemed to want a continuation so I decided to turn this into a chaptered fic lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their ages are not canon compliant because it’s confusing as hell anyways. Minato is 30 in this fic. Kisame and Sasori are 28. Yahiko, Nagato and Konan are 26. Obito is 23. Kakashi, Deidara and Itachi are 22. Aged up Deidara and Itachi for uh, plot convenience lol
> 
> -
> 
> TW : There are brief mentions of rape but not between Obito and Kakashi.

Over the next two weeks, Yahiko actually does his job properly as a “connection” and takes Kakashi around to various operations of Akatsuki for “sight-seeing”, in his exact words. It’s not like Kakashi had expected any different when he’s just a measly Bronze card, the dead bottom of the food chain, but it still sucks. He basically does nothing but watch other people doing, most of the time, highly-illegal activities. While it’s good for research and note-taking, it is also quite _boring_.

“At least be glad _I’m_ the one who shows you around. Otherwise you might be stuck playing lackey boy to some Silver card, buying him lunch and booze,” Yahiko says one day while Kakashi has an utterly unimpressed face as he watches cars race by.

“…I guess,” Kakashi mumbles. “This is your area, right?”

“Huh?”

“Area of expertise. This. Car racing. Horse racing. Bets of all races in general. This is what you’re in charge of, right?”

“Yeah,” he replies, then adds in a low voice, “Figures this is the ‘safest’ thing I can do without _terribly_ going against our police protocols. I mean, sure, it’s illegal, but it’s _less_ illegal than, say, killing a well-known CEO just because he’s in Akatsuki’s way.”

“Have you? Killed someone, I meant.”

Yahiko just gives him a tight smile, and Kakashi thinks it’s better not to know the answer.

He wonders if there’ll come a time when he’ll have to kill someone in the name of doing his job and not blowing his cover, too.

“I’ve been wondering about something,” Kakashi starts. They’re standing on a slope of a vast open field, and a good kilometer away from the racetracks below and the buildings behind them. “What is your mission?”

“My mission?”

“Yeah. Like, your goal. Target.”

Yahiko hums, hair rustling as a breeze blows by. He looks young, innocent like this, even though Kakashi knows he is anything _but_. “Secret.”

Kakashi scowls. “Why? You know mine, don’t you?”

“Of course I know yours. It would’ve been my mission, you know,” Yahiko divulges. “Just—at the time, we were too weak. The police barely had any data on Akatsuki, and it was too dangerous—too _out of reach_ —to shoot for something as high as taking down Akatsuki and the boss itself. We had to have someone ‘break the ice’ first, so to speak. So what I can tell you is, my mission involves something about Akatsuki, but smaller.”

“But not that small, since you still haven’t completed it after years.”

“Two,” Yahiko corrects. “But yeah, it’s not small at all. Although, I think part of the reason I haven’t been able to complete mine is…”

Kakashi glances at him, curious.

“There have been times, you know, when I thought I had him, but then… I think our division… I mean, I’m still trying to find more information, but I’m sure that’s why… hmn…”

Kakashi frowns at him, confused. “What?”

Yahiko blinks suddenly, as if he’s just realized what he had said. Giving Kakashi a sheepish smile, he says, “Sorry. Maybe I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Because you’re too, I don’t know, green?”

“I am not green,” Kakashi says, affronted.

“You’re right, you’re more like black with how much you frown,” Yahiko says cheekily before putting his hands up in defense when Kakashi tries to whack him. “Joking, joking! What I meant is, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll tell you later. When you’re more used to this.”

Kakashi’s frown deepens, but he chooses to let it go. He knows the other can be very adamant when he wants to be, and it’s clear he doesn’t trust Kakashi with whatever information he’s got, right now. “Fine, but you better tell me later,” he grunts.

Yahiko just flashes a grin at him. “Aww, don’t pout! Come on, I’ll take you home. You have a _date_ with the boss tonight, don’t you?”

“No,” Kakashi growls. It will be the first time he’ll be seeing Obito again since that last time at the other’s house. Obito surprisingly hadn’t contacted him after that night and Kakashi had felt too humiliated and ashamed to initiate anything.

Not that he wanted to, of course.

Then, out of the blue, Yahiko had related a message to him this morning that Obito wanted to meet him later today. He’ll be picked up, Yahiko had said, and Kakashi cringed and hoped that they wouln’t end up inside Obito’s house again.

☩

True to his words, Yahiko drops him off in front of his apartment building with a thumbs up and wide grin that Kakashi ignores as he walks inside. He’s halfway up the stairs when he remembers that his last can of coffee has been finished this morning. He still has a couple of hours before Obito drops by, so Kakashi makes his way back down, intending to make a quick stop at the convenience store nearby.

He’s a few steps away from his building when a voice calls out, “Hey, newbie.”

He turns to the side to see a guy waving at him, back leaning against the wall that leads to an alleyway further down. There’s another guy next to him, smoking.

“Let’s talk for a few minutes, okay, Bronze card?”

Kakashi narrows his eyes. This means they’re members of Akatsuki, too. He doesn’t recognize them, though, so they’re probably not too important. “Why should I?”

“Wow, rude!” the guy exclaims mockingly. “You’ve just joined Akatsuki for a few weeks and yet you’re acting like such a hotshot already, huh?”

“Hidan, shut up,” the other guy says, spitting out his cigarette and stubbing on it with his shoe. “This is reason enough, right?” He flashes something out between two fingers, the sunlight glinting against it.

A gold card. Kakashi purses his lips. He knows how hierarchy works in Akatsuki. This guy is above him.

“Follow me,” he says, and Kakashi reluctantly follows.

☩

His back is against the wall as the first guy, Hidan, crowds against him. They’re inside the alleyway, and Kakashi can guess the reason why he’s here as Hidan starts speaking.

“So _this_ is the guy we’ve all heard so much about? Lame. He doesn’t look like anything special, Kakuzu.”

The second guy, Kakuzu, simply lights up another cigarette. “Look at his face, though.”

Hidan blinks and stares at him owlishly, and Kakashi tries not to squirm.

“Such fair skin that looks just as smooth as that of the girls I fuck. Those lips, too.”

“Pretty,” Hidan murmurs. “Like a pretty, little bitch.”

Kakashi growls. “You—”

“Do you know everyone is talking about you?” Hidan interrupts. “We have a few thousand-something people in Akatsuki, and yet I don’t think there’s even _one_ member who have _not_ heard of you by now. And you’ve just joined like, what, not even a month ago?”

“What I’m so curious about, though, is how even _The Elites_ have noticed you. They _know_ you,” Kakuzu bites out, jealousy permeating his voice.

The Elites – otherwise known as the Diamond cards, their cards a clear, pristine glass cut entirely out of real diamonds – are the highest rank in Akatsuki, second only to Obito, the ultimate boss. They are in charge and oversee almost all the businesses and operations, only reporting to Obito for periodic check-ups.

Everyone who joins Akatsuki dreams of working their way up to be a Diamond card someday.

Currently, there are less than ten members in The Elites, one of whom is Yahiko. Minato has briefed him on the remaining active members.

“The Elites don’t really know me. I haven’t even met all of them yet,” Kakashi answers.

“But they do! I heard Nagato and Konan even came back early from their missions just to ‘check that new piece of fresh meat out’, in Konan’s words.”

Kakashi cringes. Konan is the only woman among The Elites, but she seems to be the creepiest.

“So tell me, what kind of disgusting magic did you use to have all The Elites taking notice of you when you’re just a measly Bronze card? I’ve been in Akatsuki since I was nineteen. I’ve worked ten long years just to rise up to a Gold, and I can’t even get one of The Elites to notice my existence, let alone remember my name. Yet you—You’re barely anything, but they all know you. We _all_ know you, Hatake Kakashi.”

 _Well, maybe you should try harder then, since Yahiko’s only joined Akatsuki for two years and he’s already a Diamond card_ , Kakashi wants to retort but thinks better of it—he doesn’t want to provoke the guy more and lead to a messy fight. Hearing his words, though, he has to admit he’s really impressed—maybe Yahiko is truly as competent as Minato had told him, since it took this guy ten years just to move up two ranks. Or maybe this guy just sucks, Kakashi doesn’t know.

“Why do you even have to ask him, isn’t it pretty obvious?” Hidan says, speaking for the first time since the other had gone on a tirade. He lifts a finger and nudges at Kakashi’s chin, tilting the latter's head up, and smirks. “Look at this face. You’re the boss’ newest _fucktoy_ , aren’t you?”

Kakashi grits his teeth, fists clenched at his sides. “At least the boss knows of my existence. He knows me by name. What about you? Have you even been able to get the boss to spare a glance at you? I doubt it.”

Kakuzu is seething—Kakashi guesses he’s very power-hungry and is absolutely jealous of how prominent Kakashi has managed to become in Akatsuki so quickly—but Hidan just barks out a laugh. He doesn’t seem to care much that Kakashi’s gotten so well-known, but rather on _how_ and _why_ he is—and curious about who Kakashi is, himself.

“This little thing thinks it can talk back,” Hidan coos, and Kakashi’s fists clench harder. He hates being referred to as a _thing_ , like he’s a disposable object, far beneath anyone else. “But you really are very pretty, though,” Hidan murmurs, leaning in. “So gorgeous. How much do you think I can make by selling you into prostitution, hmn?”

Kakashi should get offended—the other’s words are degrading him—but all that’s in his vision is a sudden flash, world swirling as his mind struggles for something, _something—_

_“So young, and yet look at this face already. So pretty. How about I sell you into prostitution, hmn? You’re probably worth a nice, hefty price—pretty little boys like you.”_

_“No, please—He’s just a child, please… Hurt me all you want, kill me, but please leave him alone, I beg you—”_

Kakashi coughs out a gasp, blinking rapidly as he struggles to catch his breath. That—That was just—a flashback. A memory. He wishes he can recall more, but the hands pulling at his jeans are still lingering, and he’s reminded on why he was suddenly jolted back into reality in the first place.

“Let’s see what it is about you that had bewitched the boss so much, yeah?” Hidan is whispering against his neck as his hands pop open a button on Kakashi’s jeans, and the latter cringes.

His head is spinning right now, the all-too-familiar headache approaching like a fast, furious storm. He doesn't have the time to reach into his back pocket and take out his medications when there are hands pulling his zipper down, palming him. Kakashi sucks in a breath before he raises an arm up and slams his elbow against the back of Hidan’s neck.

In an instant, while the other is crouched down in pain, Kakashi spins around and slams Hidan into the wall, smashing his face against the bricks and hearing a satisfying crunch of teeth. He pulls the latter’s arms behind his back and twists them up, leaving the other shouting in pain.

“Sorry,” Kakashi jeers. “I guess this ‘little thing’ is stronger than you, huh? Did that put a blow in your manly pride, being taken down by a ‘pretty little bitch’?” He punctuates it by kicking the back of Hidan’s knees, leaving the latter to slide down the wall with struggled gasps of air.

 _I wasn’t ranked first among five hundred-something students in the police academy for nothing—including the mental_ and _physical exams_ , Kakashi thinks, wanting to say it outloud but can’t. This is why he wasn’t afraid to walk into an alleyway with people who looked like they were up to no good. Kakashi can handle himself in a fight.

He is pissed, though. Pissed that the other guy interrupted him when Kakashi had finally managed to recall something.

Wait… other guy…? Weren’t there _two_?

Just as Kakashi is scrambling his head back to look for Kakuzu, he lets out a choked sound as his mouth splurts suddenly with blood, a loud noise ricocheting off the air.

Kakashi stumbles back and looks down at himself as crimson starts to spread onto his shirt, dripping pearly red liquid down onto the hard ground.

He just got shot.

“The nice thing about being a Gold card,” Kakuzu says leisurely as he blows off the smoke on the gun in his hand nonchalantly, “is that we all get a nice, handy gun. What a great gift from the boss, don’t you think?”

 _Fuck, I’ve been careless_ , Kakashi realizes as his knees give out, face going pale and vision blurry due to the rapid loss of blood.

“Now, let’s see… What should I do with you?”

 _Looks like I won’t make it and be able to avenge you after all… I’m… so… sorry…_ is the last thought on his mind before his world fades into black.

☩

The basement is a cold place as Obito walks through it. He hasn’t been here in some time since he mostly leaves this job for his underlings, but, well.

This is a special occasion, after all.

The guard bows and opens the cell as he approaches. There, inside the room huddled in a corner, is the stupidest fuck Obito has had the displeasure of meeting in awhile.

“B―Boss!” the guy shouts, straightening up before dropping his forehead onto the dirty ground in a bow as Obito steps in. “I―”

He barely has time to get up before the sole of Obito’s boot meets his chest, a sharp kick sending him flying to the wall behind. The cracking of bones can be heard as they dislocated.

“Hidan, is it?” Obito says with a smile on his face. “You’ve sure got guts for a measly Silver card, that’s for sure.”

“N―No, please!” the other wheezes, hand grasping on his shoulder in pain. “You have to let me explain, I wasn’t―Kakuzu was the one who shot him! I’m innocent, I swear!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Y―You can check, I don’t have a gun. Only Gold cards do, it’s his gun. Please, it’s all his fault, I’m not―”

“According to the information, you guys have been partners for five years. You sure seem willing to throw him under the bus.”

“B―Because it’s not my fault! Please let me g―”

“It’s okay, though,” Obito cuts in easily, humming. “Because he was as willing to throw _you_ under the bus as well. He told me you were going to _rape_ Kakashi.”

“W―What?” Hidan stutters, face going pale.

“You honestly really have guts,” Obito says, peering into the other’s eyes with a sweet smile. “Just as everyone in Akatsuki knows about Kakashi’s existence, they also know that he is _mine_. Isn’t that why you all know about him in the first place? ‘Who is this new kid that has managed to catch the boss’ attention?’ Isn’t that how the rumors are going?”

“I―I wasn’t…”

“You don’t need to make up excuses. Kakuzu already told me everything.” Obito lifts a foot up and nudges at the other’s chin with the toe of his boot. “What is it about Kakashi, hmn? Is it because he’s alluring? Does he look like he’d make a good fuck?”

Hidan whimpers as the sole of the boot presses against his throat, tears of fear already gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“Well, let me tell you, it’s true. He _does_ make a good fuck. But do you think it’s in _your_ place to know?” he spits the question out as his voice rises, shoe grinding on Hidan’s throat and rendering the latter unable to breathe as his face turns red due to the lack of oxygen.

“P―Please…” Hidan manages to choke out, and Obito slowly releases the hold, settling onto both feet again.

“What do you think your punishment should be?” Obito asks nonchalantly as he’s brushing off imaginary dust on his shoulder. “For wanting to touch what’s mine with those filthy hands… I should cut off each of your fingers for that, hmn?”

Hidan’s eyes widen in horror as he snaps his head up to stare at him. “N―No, please, I’m so sorry, please, I’ll do anything, don’t―”

“Joking! I’m not going to do that,” Obito exclaims cheerfully, and before the other can breathe a sigh of relief, he continues, “because _Konan_ will be doing that, won't you?”

Obito tilts his head back towards the door as the woman in question bounces in. “Can I really?” Konan asks excitedly.

“Sure,” Obito replies. “I know that often, your missions require you to kill your targets swiftly and leave the scene as quickly as possible. So here, have a prey you can take your time to _play_ with, Konan.”

Konan lets out a gleeful chuckle as she slowly walks past Obito towards the man in the corner shaking with sobs pathetically.

“St―Stay away from me!” Hidan screams, backing further into the wall.

“Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to have so much _fun_ together,” Konan croons, flipping out the switchblade she always keeps on her body.

“You can start by cutting off each of his fingers one by one,” Obito suggests as he starts walking away.

“W―Wait, please, boss! I didn’t manage to do anything to Kakashi in the end, it was all Kakuzu, he’s the one who shot―”

“If you’re concerned about your dear friend,” Obito says as he pauses his steps with a brief glance back, “then there’s no need. His body had already been tossed in the garbage dump before I even approached you. You’ll be joining him soon enough, don’t worry.”

With that, he heads out of the cell, a bloodcurdling scream echoing off the walls behind him.

☩

Kakashi blinks eyes to white.

With a groan, he slowly sits up, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Everywhere he sees is white. White walls, white sheets. Even the clothes he’s wearing are white.

He’s in a hospital room.

Rubbing his temple, he tries to recall what happened. The last thing he remembers is Yahiko dropping him off, and then…

“You’re awake?”

Kakashi lifts his head up at the voice. Obito is making his way into the room and sitting on the chair beside the bed.

“How are you feeling?”

“Terrible. Like I’ve just been punched in the guts.”

Obito chuckles. “Maybe because something like that did happen.”

“What happened?” he asks, looking down to his torso and feeling the bandages wrapping around it through the thin shirt.

“You got into a run-in with two members of Akatsuki. One of them shot you.”

“Oh,” Kakashi says, frowning and trying to will the memories to come back to him. “How did I get here, then? Did they―”

The other shakes his head. “Your phone fell out and Yahiko found it in his car. He drove back to return it and that was when he heard the gunshot. We took care of them, don’t worry.”

“Oh,” he says again, images hazily floating back into his mind. There were two men who were jealous of him and how well-known he was becoming. One of them had shot him, like Obito said, but the other…

The other had _touched_ him, had wanted to―

And then, there were all these flashbacks that triggered―

_“No, please—He’s just a child, please… Hurt me all you want, kill me, but please leave him alone, I beg you—”_

_“Why should I? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me? Always getting in my way. You think the police is everything? Well, I’m here to prove to you that it’s not, as you kneel on the floor and beg for my mercy!”_

_“Yes, I’m sorry, you can take my life as punishment, but please, don’t harm him. Kakashi is just a child, he’s innocent, he’s—”_

“Kakashi?”

Kakashi jolts back to blink wild eyes at Obito.

“Are you okay?”

“No, I—” he chokes as he cradles his head in his hands, body curled into a fetal position as his head is pounding. There are red and white splotches in his vision, and he feels like someone is bashing a hammer through his skull right now. He needs—he needs— “…back pocket…”

“Huh?”

“My clothes—where are the clothes I was wearing? I need—” Kakashi manages to say before another pained gasp tears through his mouth.

“Kakashi, calm down, what do you need? Your clothes are right there in the cabinet, I’ll get it for you.”

“J—Jeans pocket…” he replies weakly. “There’s a… bottle… I need…”

“Got it,” Obito says, before Kakashi hears the clattering of a chair. He squeezes his eyes shut, struggling to breathe before there’s a bottle nudging at his cheek.

Hastily grasping it, he almost breaks the lid as he opens the bottle and pours three pills out, immediately swallowing it dry.

There’s a long moment of silence in the room save for Kakashi’s ragged breathing as he tries to calm down, letting the medication take effect. He finally lets out a shuddering breath as his vision clears, the poudings in his head reduced to a dull ache.

Kakashi winces as he turns to look at Obito, who’s been watching him with an intense gaze the entire time. “…Thanks,” he says awkwardly.

“It’s no problem. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah.”

“So, what was that about?”

Cringing, Kakashi’s mind scrambles on what to say. “Sometimes, I get these really terrible headaches,” he begins. “These pills help me numb the pain.”

There’s silence from the other as his dark eyes still pierce through him, before Obito speaks again. “Is this a condition you’ve had since you were small, since birth?”

Kakashi pauses, debating on how much to tell him. Finally, he shakes his head, deciding that a little truth won’t hurt since this has nothing to do with his mission, anyways. “No… it’s something that started a few years ago. I don’t know, I got sick, I guess.”

 _Or more like shit happened to me that made me this way_ , Kakashi thinks gloomily.

“I see,” Obito replies. “It’s not anything serious, is it? Like a terminal illness?”

“Nah. It’s not life-threatening or anything. Just. Sometimes I have these… _attacks_ , and my body just breaks down until I can gulp down the meds. It can get inconvenience…” _Especially when I’m trying to find more information to get revenge, but can’t do anything since I can’t_ remember _anything about what happened_ , Kakashi says in his mind, cursing himself.

PTSD. That was what the doctor called it. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His mind has blocked out and locked away almost all of his memories in retaliation to what had happened _that night_. As it is, Kakashi barely has any knowledges or memories of his entire life up until his senior year in middle school, when everything shattered apart.

Sometimes, memories manage to slip in randomly as he goes about life, or if he’s deliberately trying to recall something. It doesn’t tend to turn out well, though, since his mind shuts down as a self-defense mechanism, and all Kakashi is left with are these terrible headaches and half-moments of the past that he’s still trying to piece together.

However, as unfortunate as that run-in with those two guys in Akatsuki had been, it _did_ provide some good—Kakashi actually was able to recall a whole conversation of whatever had happened that night. He actually remembered something longer than just flashes of images.

He also came very close to dying, though. Who knows what might’ve happened had Yahiko not returned in time and rescued him?

This just makes Kakashi hates himself more—the _wake-up call_ slapping him in the face. Loath as he is willing to admit, Kakashi has been rather… _distracted_ as of late—getting caught up in Obito and whatever game he’s playing, the confusing actions, the sweet words, everything that Obito _is—_

Kakashi shakes his head, chastising himself silently. He came here for a goal, and he’s going to achieve it.

_No matter what._

“What’s wrong?” Obito asks, breaking him out of his reverie.

“It’s nothing,” Kakashi mutters, peering up at the other.

Obito is really good looking—handsome face, all dark eyes, strong jaw on slightly tanned skin, muscular body—not to mention he’s the boss of _Akatsuki_. His fortune is probably worth more than all the members of the police force _combined_ , if his house is anything to go by.

Like Kakashi has said, Obito can have anyone and do anything.

Yet… Yet he seems to be fixated on _Kakashi_ for some reason.

“You said…” Kakashi starts, licking his lips. “You said you took care of those guys?”

“Huh? Yeah, I did. They won’t ever be able bother you again. I made sure of that.”

“Oh, thanks…” Kakashi mumbles, ducking his head down. “But it’s still scary to think about it… I guess there’s probably a decent amount of people in Akatsuki who don’t like me.”

“They’re just jealous, don’t worry,” Obito says as he cups Kakashi’s face, thumb skimming against his cheek. “I didn’t think anyone would be so _stupid_ as to touch you, though, despite the rumors floating around. I’ll tell them clearly this time so they’ll know better.”

Kakashi nods, wondering if he should lean into the touch. “It was still a close call, though. If Yahiko had not come back to my place…”

Obito frowns, hand stilling. “True. They came directly to your place—they knew where you lived.”

“Yeah…”

“That place isn’t safe for you anymore,” Obito concludes. “Anyone can come to harass you, and Yahiko and I won’t be by your side all the time. You need protection.”

“Do I?” Kakashi asks, blinking his eyes wide.

The other nods. “You do. We don’t want something like this to happen again.” He pauses to lift his other hand up and brush back Kakashi’s silverly bangs with a fond look on his face. “Hmn… How about this? How would you like to move in with me? There’s no safer security than my own house, and Kisame will be around, too. No one will dare touch you when you’re living in _my_ place, trust me.”

“But… Can I do that? After all, you’re the boss, and I’m just a measly Bronze card. Isn’t that why those guys were jealous of me in the first place?” Kakashi asks, tilting his head.

Obito laughs lightly. “Then I guess I’ll just have to kick you up a rank or two, won’t I?” Leaning in close, Obito brushes his lips against Kakashi’s ears as he murmurs, “Remember what I told you? ‘ _You won’t have to be at the bottom for long if you know the right people to bottom for_.’ Do you know who those people are, now?”

Kakashi hums. “I don’t know, but I _do_ know someone told me they wanted me a few weeks ago. Does that person still want me, now?”

A rumble of chuckle from the other man has Kakashi shivering as puffs of air blow right onto his neck, tickling the skin. “Of course I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”

Obito pulls back to give Kakashi a deep kiss that has the latter wrapping his arms around Obito’s neck, melting into his embrace.

They break and Kakashi nuzzles his face into the crook of Obito’s neck. His eyes, however, are a fiery swirl of colors, flashing ominously.

 _Your strange affections towards me, will be the very thing that will get you killed in the end_ , Kakashi thinks as he lets Obito lowers him onto the bed, lips against his again as they engage in a slow, sensual kiss.

☩

Kakashi finds him standing by a riverbank, underneath the bridge underpass. “Hey.”

Yahiko tilts his head back and smiles. “Yo. Feeling better?”

“As better as I can be, I guess,” Kakashi answers dryly as he walks up and stands next to the older man. “Yahiko, I want to thank you.”

The other gives him a grin. “It’s no problem, really. I’m just glad I got there in time. Or, well, _somewhat_ in time. Sorry I wasn’t quick enough and you still got shot.”

“No, it could’ve been worse,” Kakashi says, shaking his head. “It could’ve been… They could’ve done so much more to me…” He winces, recalling what those two guys told him they wanted to do with him.

Yahiko gives a grimace, too, probably getting what Kakashi is implying. “Yeah, it’s… This is a dangerous job. That’s why I said you’re too… green.”

“I’m not green―”

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” the other tries to explain. “I just meant―there’s this… _air_ about you. _Innocence_. It makes you seem so out of place here. Like you don’t belong in this harsh, cruel mafia world. You’re too… pure.”

Kakashi purses his lips, gaze falling down to the grass rustling beneath his feet. “I’m not innocent nor pure. If I was, I wouldn’t basically be selling out my body just to get closer to Obito.”

“Kakashi…”

“The rumors are true,” he bites out, clenching his fists by his sides. “Whatever you’ve heard, they’re all true. I let him fuck me just to get into Tsuki no Me. I let him do whatever he wanted with my body just to please him. Why do you think he seems so fond of me? I’m his new favorite ‘fucktoy’, as they said.”

There’s a sigh from the other man. “Kakashi, it’s not… This isn’t something to be ashamed of, you know? I mean, it’s your body. If you think this mission is worth it to give it away, then it’s your right to do so.”

“Yes, but―” Kakashi takes a deep breath. “Isn’t it ridiculous? Who would have sex with some random stranger―someone they’re supposed to take down, to _destroy_ ―just to complete his mission faster? It’s so _stupid_ , isn’t it? You wouldn’t do that, right?”

There’s a long stretch of silence afterward as a breeze blows by and ruffles both of their hair.

Yahiko continues to gaze out into the river.

“Yahiko―”

“It’s not stupid to me,” the other finally answers, voice the quietest and calmest Kakashi has ever heard from him. “Because I’m the same as you.”

“What…?”

“It was tough, you know. Trying to break into Akatsuki―to fit in―all by myself. Trying to do this goddamn mission by myself. I got impatient. I got desperate. I got scared that I was never going to go anywhere, to be stuck as a Bronze card. A Silver card. Even a Gold card wasn’t enough. I needed to elevate higher. I needed to be closer.”

“Yahiko…”

Yahiko finally turns to look at him, and gives him a small, but serene smile. “You really are pure, you know. Obito took interest in you first, right? Me, I actively went and seduced my target. To get closer to him. For him to trust me. I had everything planned out. I am… I’m a revolting person, Kakashi. Everyone in Akatsuki is. That’s why I said you don’t belong. I can tell you’re not like that.”

Kakashi gnaws on his lip, shocked at the information the other has just divulged to him. Yet, that somehow made him feel closer to Yahiko, because he can empathize. 

They’re in the same place.

“Even if I wasn’t like that before,” he starts, “I am now. I hinted and put the idea inside Obito’s head that it’s no longer safe for me to live in my apartment. I’m going to move into Obito’s very house tonight, did you know? We’re going to live together, and I’m going to let him do whatever it is he wants with my body if it means I can snoop around and find any information, documents. Any evidence that’ll help take him down faster.”

There’s a big release of air from Yahiko before he bends down, picks up a rock, and throws it into the river. They both watch as the rock skips a few times on the surface before plunging down into the water.

“Though I can’t say I’m happy for this change… If it’s what you have decided and resolved to do…”

“I am. I need to finish this mission as quickly as possible. I have… I have other stuff to worry about, after this. I can’t afford to just dilly-dally around.”

Yahiko lets out a puff of air, eyebrows knitting together, before saying, “Alright. If you’re really serious about taking down Akatsuki, then… I guess I can let you in on this.”

“‘This’? You mean whatever you hesitated to tell me before, because I was too ‘green’?” Kakashi asks, rolling his eyes.

The other laughs lightly. “Yes. I still think you’re too green, but I can see how much you’re willing to sacrifice over this―how determined you are. So, I will tell you something, okay?”

“What is it?” Kakashi asks, anticipating.

“Remember how I told you I’ve been on this mission for two years?” Yahiko begins. “There have been times… when I was really close to catching my target… taking him down with enough evidence for him to be arrested, but… everytime I did, something always came up, got in the way. Like someone knew what I was doing, was a step ahead of me, and helped him get away instead.”

“You mean…”

Yahiko nods grimly. “It’s been happening enough times now that I believe, just as the police have spies in Akatsuki - us, Akatsuki also have spies in the police force, as well. There’s someone in our division who’s actually working for Akatsuki, instead.”

Kakashi’s breath hitches, eyes wide.

“I’ve been trying to find more information, but… This person is _smart_ , Kakashi. He covers all his tracks. And our division has over a hundred people. I don’t know who it is, but I know he’s in there somewhere, relating information back to Akatsuki and stopping me from nailing my target.”

“Wow, that’s…”

“I’m telling you this for you to be careful, Kakashi. Trust no one, not even your superiors, including Minato. I have no idea how far Obito’s connection networks reach.”

Kakashi nods, thanking the older man for the information.

 _Trust no one_ , he had said.

But does this mean, he shouldn’t trust Yahiko, either?

Just what exactly can he believe in, then?

☩

“So. I’m sure you all can guess what I’ve gathered you here for.”

They’re in a gigantic conference room with a long carpet draped from the middle to the farthest end of the room where the stairs are leading up to a podium of sort. There, lies a king chair glinting against the lights from the chandeliers above, gleaming vivid gold.

Kakashi cringes, wondering if the chair is actually made completely out of real gold. It wouldn’t entirely surprise him if so, since the hundred or so people gathering below the steps all hold cards made out of real gold, themselves.

The rest of the Elites are standing off to one side, looking bored already as they wait for their boss seated in the one lone chair in this vast room.

Frankly, Kakashi feels like he’s in an ancient drama, inside a throne room, where Uchiha Obito, the King, sits.

Kakashi fights back another cringe.

“Everyone is aware of the, ah, _incident_ , that happened three days ago, yes? Two idiotic _fucks_ actually had the _gall_ to hurt something of mine, thinking that they were so superior since they’re Silver and Gold cards,” Obito says, scoffing. Then, he directs his gaze to Kakashi, who’s standing near the Elites, and says, “Come here.”

Kakashi slowly walks to where Obito is. Before he can stop properly, a hand shoots out and tugs him down, right into the space between Obito’s spread legs, back hitting against the latter’s chest.

“I don’t think I have to tell you who this is, yes?” Obito murmurs, but his voice rings loudly against the muted room, echoing off the walls. “And that this is _mine_ , yes? Even if some of you seem to think you’re above him just because he’s a Bronze card?”

Kakashi tries not to shudder as Obito speaks, his lips right by Kakashi’s ear, sending puffs of air tingling against his skin.

“You should know he’s worth much more than all of you Gold cards combined. But since some of you are too stupid to realize that, and your own worth, I guess I need to physically spell it out for you, hmn?” He slides a hand away from Kakashi’s waist to flash something up, and Kakashi lets out a small gasp at the crystal-clear card glinting against the lights.

There are whisperings spreading across the room, and even some of the Elites seem shocked at the object between Obito’s fingers.

“Diamond card,” Obito says nonchalantly, sucking on a spot at Kakashi’s nape, and the latter has to clamp his mouth shut to hold back a moan. “Welcome the newest addition to the Elites, Hatake Kakashi. Did all of you imbeciles catch that?”

Silence once again spreads through the room.

“I asked,” Obito raises his voice, staring down at the mass of people below him with a piercing glare, “did all of you imbeciles catch that?”

“Y―Yes, boss!” everyone stammers out, fear clear in their eyes under the cold, intense gaze from their boss.

Obito nods, leaning back into the chair and pulling Kakashi along with him. “Good. Then you may all go and spread the words to the Silver and Bronze cards now. Make sure they perfectly understand what this means, or I won’t hesitate to put more of you down in the _Metal_ , is that clear?”

The Metal―Akatsuki’s notorious underground dungeon. Elaborate and mazelike, with guards standing at every corner and various tools and machines unheard of that can bring even the strongest of men down to their knees.

Simply put, the Metal is both Akatsuki’s personal prison and torture house.

This time, Kakashi physically shivers as he thinks of the fate of those two guys who had hurt him.

Yahiko was right―Kakashi doesn’t feel like he belongs here, at all.

But it’s not like he has any choice.

☩

“T―Thank you,” Kakashi mutters as he trails after Obito into one of the free rooms. Obito had taken him to Amaterasu afterward―Akatsuki’s main recreational building where the members usually congregate and lounge around in their free time.

“Hmn?” Obito hums, settling down onto one of the sofas and pulling Kakashi with him, the latter straddling his lap.

“I… I didn’t expect so much. I mean, it’s a _Diamond_ card. It’s… It’s unreal.”

It really is. Kakashi is still shocked over it. He had expected Obito to boost him up to a Silver card―maybe a Gold if the other was feeling generous―but a _Diamond_ card. Only after three weeks of joining Akatsuki. Is this usually a thing? Does this happen all the time, or is Kakashi just a very special exception?

Why on Earth is Obito so… _nice_ to him?

“I assure you, it’s all very real,” Obito replies as his fingers smooth circles on Kakashi’s hips, underneath his shirt. “Now no one will dare to do anything to you. You know, right? No one is ranked higher than an Elite, aside from me.”

“I do, I…” Kakashi breathes, feeling himself get lost in the dark depths of Obito’s eyes. “I didn’t expect this. Why are you so…”

“I told you, didn’t I? I want you,” Obito whispers against Kakashi’s lips before catching the bottom one between his teeth, nibbling and pushing his tongue in, engaging him in a deep kiss.

Kakashi’s moan gets swallowed up inside Obito’s mouth as he braces himself onto the latter’s shoulders. He can feel a hand sliding around towards his back, a lone finger trailing a line down the curve of his spine, and Kakashi shudders at the sensitivity.

“Obito…” he mewls, closing his eyes as he sees the other leaning in, awaiting another kiss. Moments pass, however, and he doesn’t feel anything.

Opening his eyes, he blinks hazily as he sees Obito staring down at him―not at his face, but somewhere around the vicinity of his… neck?

“What’s that?” the other asks, voice strangely hushed.

“What’s what?”

“That mark,” Obito says, jutting his chin to indicate whatever he’s talking about.

Kakashi strains to look, but he can’t exactly see a mark on his own neck. “I don’t know. Didn’t you make it earlier? When you announced me an Elite?” he mutters, feeling his cheeks flushed at the memory.

Obito just shakes his head at him. “No, that was on your right side. This is your left. Also, I see faint traces of blood coagulation on your neck, which means it must’ve been a bite mark hard enough to puncture through skin and draw blood. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before at the hospital.”

“Oh.” Kakashi scrunches his eyebrows, contemplating. “Oh! It must’ve been when that guy, what was his name, Hidan? Tried to, _you know_. He must’ve bitten me then.” It must have been what had jolted him out of the flashback, when he had felt that brief pain. He must have not realized it at the time, preoccupied with everything else going on. “I do remember he kept whispering against my neck, so―Ah!”

Kakashi squeaks in surprise at the abruptly harsh, almost painful grip at his waist, and blinks wide eyes at the dark look on Obito’s face.

“He touched you? I thought that Gold card said he wasn’t able to do anything in the end,” Obito growls, and Kakashi finds himself stammering.

“N―No. I mean, not… really? He was―”

“What exactly did he do?” Obito hisses. “Tell me the truth, or I _will_ find this out one way or another.”

Kakashi cringes, and does as told. “W―Well. He bit me, I guess. Was whispering against my neck, probably licking? I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention. Also had his hands down my jeans? He managed to slide down the zipper and stick his hand in, but he didn’t―”

Kakashi never gets to finish his sentence, for there is a shove at his chest, stumbling him onto the ground. Before he can scramble to right himself up on his feet, there’s already a hand yanking him up and dragging him out the door.

“Obito, what are you―” he stutters as he’s pulled out the hallway and into the main common area of the building, where the members are lounging around in various tables, drinking, doing drugs, and playing poker.

The place quiets down instantly as soon as Obito walks in, which is impressive given how there are over a hundred people in there currently.

“Obito―” Kakashi gasps as Obito shoves him to stand in front, wrapping a palm around the curve of his neck and forcibly tilting Kakashi’s face up, leaving him to stare down frenziedly at the hundred or so pairs of eyes currently watching them.

“See this?” Obito murmurs, voice as chilling as the dead of night. “See this piece of a gorgeous human being? See this smooth, flawless skin?” His free hand slides around Kakashi’s body to lift his shirt up and pinch at a nipple roughly, earning a choked sound from the latter. “He looks good, doesn’t he? He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? _Don’t you just want to fuck him?_ ”

Kakashi tries to say something, but Obito’s fingers are still digging into his throat, cutting his airway off.

“Well, apparently _someone_ did. And you know what happened to him? He got chopped up limb by limb like a cattle at a slaughterhouse. He’s decomposing waste and food for the flies at the nearest garbage dump right now.”

Kakashi can blearily see the tension in everyone’s eyes at how casual their boss’s tone is, speaking about something so grotesque as if he’s announcing the weather.

“Honestly, I would've tried to give you guys a warning, but some of you dumbfucks might not know what’s good for you and throw away your own lives, anyways. Or try to rebel. I don’t know. I don’t care. You can do all the foolish things you want as long as you don’t touch what’s _mine_.”

Kakashi lets out a strangled sound as Obito hauls him by the neck towards the nearest table at the front―the _Elite_ ’s table.

“But since I feel like some of you are just too stupid to understand by mere words,” Obito says in a sickeningly sweet tone as he grips a hand at the base of Kakashi’s neck and smashes the latter face-down right onto the table, the poker chips nearby flying at the impact. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to physically _show_ you who he belongs to, huh?”

“Obito, what―” Kakashi wheezes, face mushed into the tablecloth as he’s bent over the table, dry-heaving. He can make out hazy figures of some of the Elites sitting right in front of him, all gazing at him with curious eyes.

“We’re going to give them a show to burn this warning into their eyes,” Obito whispers as he drapes himself over Kakashi’s back, lips brushing against the back of his ear. Kakashi can feel the curve of Obito’s smirk against his skin before he says, “I’m going to fuck you right here in front of everyone, Kakashi.”

Kakashi finds his entire body frozen, hands clutching onto the tablecloth as he chokes out, “ _What?_ ”

“Isn’t it preposterous that Silver card guy managed to touch you? When you belong to _me_?”

“But that doesn’t mean―”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Obito hisses with a snap of his hips, grinding his crotch into Kakashi’s bottom through their pants. “You’re _mine_ , aren’t you?”

Kakashi grits his teeth, eyes trained down onto a poker chip nearby instead of up where he knows the Elites are, all staring at him. Heck, not just them, but all the other lesser members, too.

_Fuck._

“Yes, I am,” Kakashi says slowly, trying to make his voice sound calm―the complete opposite of how he’s feeling inside right now. “But do we really have to do it here? Where everyone is? Can’t we go back―”

“That’s the point, isn’t it?” Obito purrs, reaching a hand under Kakashi’s body to pop open a button on his pants. His other hand is still maintaining a tight grip on Kakashi’s neck, pinning his head down. “The point is that I fuck you here, in a room full of everyone, so they can all see who you belong to.”

Kakashi’s fingernails scrape hard onto the table, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to calm down. Calm down and not do something like bringing a leg back, in-between Obito’s spread legs and slamming him right in the crotch. He doesn’t know who’s stronger, anyways, and he sure as heck won’t be able to fight off all the other people in the room after hurting their precious boss.

Not that any of that matters, because he’s not supposed to defy Obito. Didn’t he tell Yahiko he will let Obito do whatever it is he wants with his body it if means he can take Obito down faster?

 _You picked your choice back in Day 1, when you willingly gave up your body for Obito at Tsuki no Me_ , Kakashi reminds himself. _You need to complete this mission. You need to rise through the ranks. You need_ power _. You can’t do anything about revenge with the way you are now, so weak and helpless._

Sucking in a breath, Kakashi goes limp in Obito’s hands as the other pulls down his zipper and palms at his underwear. The hand at his nape slides down his back to lift up his shirt, tracing patterns on his spine. Distantly, he feels relief that Yahiko doesn’t seem to be here today, since he’s the only sort-of friend Kakashi’s managed to make so far.

Kakashi lets out a shaky exhale as he feels that hand moves further down his back, pulling at his pants. Kakashi hates himself for being so weak, but he can’t help the tears already prickling his clenched-shut eyes.

 _You have to be strong_ , Kakashi tells himself, but a choked sob wrenches out of his throat anyways, and, unthinkingly, he whispers, “Does it make you happy?”

Obito pauses in his ministrations, fingers still hooked into Kakashi’s pants. “What?”

“This―playing with someone like they’re an object. Like they’re nothing but a toy for you, to display and showcase to everyone. Do you feel powerful like this?” Kakashi gasps out. He’s vaguely aware he should not be saying things like this to Uchiha Obito, _the boss_. He’s sure all the Elites at the table are staring at him with shocked eyes right now, close enough to actually hear him even though his voice is nothing but breathless sounds. “ _Does it make you happy?_ ”

There’s a suffocating silence that follows afterward―or maybe it’s just because Kakashi can’t seem to find the air to breathe, shaking imperceptibly as he tries to not dry-heave all over.

His mind is so scrambled he doesn’t even notice it until moments later when he no longer feels a weight over his back. The hands on his body are gone, too.

Kakashi keeps still, not comprehending what has just happened and too afraid to make a move.

“Would you guys have liked that?” Obito speaks out suddenly from somewhere above him. “Me fucking Kakashi―You would have _enjoyed_ the show, would you not? Would you get off on it?”

Silence spreads throughout the room as everyone shifts in their seats awkwardly.

“You sick fucks,” Obito says, barking out a laugh. Kakashi gasps as he feels himself being yanked up and into Obito’s chest, face buried into the crook of the latter’s shoulder. “Well, too bad. Kakashi’s only for me to see. Have fun with your imaginations all you want―you’ll never be able to experience the _real_ thing.”

With that, he turns around and leaves, pulling Kakashi to stumble after him. 

☩

“Would’ve been hot if they had gone through with it.”

“Nagato!”

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Nagato shrugs, leaning back into his chair. “Have you _looked_ at the new kid?”

“Careful, or a certain someone won’t be very happy to hear that,” Deidara singsongs, making the other scowl.

“I agree with Nagato,” Konan speaks up. “I mean, yeah, Kakashi is good looking, that’s for sure. But there’s something else about him…”

“It’s his air and how he conducts himself. Innocence,” Deidara supplies. “I could recognize it the moment I saw him at Tsuki no Me. Right, Kisame?”

The man in question nods. “I haven’t met him properly, but… from what little I’ve seen of him back then… I don’t know. I feel like he’s different from us.”

“Isn’t that why the boss seems so taken with him? I mean, damn, even _I_ was shocked when he flashed a Diamond card at us earlier,” Sasori exclaims.

“Yeah, I… didn’t expect that. The boss hadn’t shown any inklings of that at all prior, and you guys know I see him the most,” Kisame says, leaning back with a frown. “I… feel unsettled, to be honest. We’ve never had anyone promoted so quickly before.”

The others hum in agreement. “Yeah, I think he just took the cake for the fastest climb. How long has he been in, a few weeks? Before that, it was either you or Yahiko who held the record, right, Konan?”

The woman nods. “Mine was a year and two months, so a month behind Yahiko’s. Although he was cheating,” Konan adds with a scowl.

Deidara snickers. “More like he was _smart_. I mean, now that I think about it, they both used the same method to rise up, huh? The new kid is superior, of course, going after _the boss_ himself. Hence, his record-breaking promotion.”

“Yahiko is good with his job, though―he has a way with words,” Kisame says, contemplating. “No one else has persuasion skills like him. I heard the boss is thinking of letting him be in charge of the casinos, too.”

“Of course he is, why else do you think a certain someone is such a pushover for him?” Konan smirks, earning herself a glare from the man sitting next to her. “Anyways, can we go back to the new kid please, because _damn_.”

“No, but really though,” Deidara says. “The boss seems particularly possessive of him. This hasn’t happened before, right?”

Kisame shakes his head. “He’s always been a possessive person, but… They were fleeting. The people he had been with―they were usually random girls or guys picked up by him at a club. If they’re lucky enough, they’ll manage to hold his interest for a few weeks, at most a month. But I don’t think they’ve ever been a member of Akatsuki before, and I’ve been looking after him since he took over Akatsuki.”

“That’s why I’m so interested in Hatake Kakashi. Like, just what is it about him that has the boss so taken?” Konan asks in wonder.

“It’s his fiery personality,” Sasori says. “Did you hear him earlier? He kept calling the boss _by name_. I mean, I refer to him by name sometimes, too, but certainly not to _his face,_ and I’m older than him. Yet, the kid says it like it’s nothing, and the boss doesn’t even seem to mind.”

“Don’t forget, _Do you feel powerful like this? Does it make you happy?_ ” Deidara imitates with a laugh. “That newbie is just so… fiery, like you said. I _love_ it.”

“Well, apparently our boss loves it, too, if his declarations of _mine mine mine_ are anything to go by,” Konan comments dryly.

☩

Kakashi stands uncomfortably as the door closes behind him, head down. He can’t even be bothered to zip up his pants, eyes staring blankly at the carpet below instead.

“Are you scared now?”

Kakashi snaps his head up to stare at the other, who has an undecipherable gaze in his eyes. “What?”

“You told me before―several times―that you weren’t scared of me,” Obito elaborates in a quiet tone. “Are you, now?”

Kakashi bites his lip, dropping his head. Is he scared?

As much as he hates to admit it, he is.

Yahiko’s words keep ringing in his ears―dangerous, too harsh, too _cruel_.

Kakashi is in way over his head.

But there is no return point.

“Does it matter? I’m still here,” Kakashi replies, willing his eyes not to falter as he stares directly into Obito's. “I’m still yours.”

The other licks his lips as he walks towards Kakashi, and the latter tries not to flinch as Obito taps a finger on his chin, tilting his face up. “You are,” he murmurs. “Sometimes I wonder why you try so hard. Are you that hungry for power? For a high rank in Akatsuki? Or―”

Kakashi’s breath hitches as Obito leans in, brushing against his ears.

“―Is there some other reason why you want to be close to me so badly, hmn? Something _secretive_?”

Kakashi stills, trying to not tremble as his mind is racing in his head, alarm signs flashing. “Everybody has their own secrets,” he manages, and internally congratulates himself for not stuttering. “I’m sure that’s part of why you’re interested in me, too. You _like_ me like this, don’t you?”

“Such a smart boy,” Obito comments, chuckling. Pulling back, he links his fingers with Kakashi’s, and says, “Come on, let’s go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“To my house. I’ll call a doctor to re-bandage those for you,” he answers with a pointed look.

Kakashi widens his eyes as he looks down. There’s a spread of crimson on his shirt, staining the fabric.

“Your wounds probably reopened when I slammed you down on the table earlier.”

“Oh,” Kakashi says, surprised. “I hadn’t even noticed.”

“You don’t seem to notice much in general when it comes to pain,” Obito notes. “It’s like you’re more or less numbed to it.”

“Isn’t that a good thing, since I’m in Akatsuki?”

“Hmn, I suppose,” Obito hums. “But you know there are certain types of pain you’d _want_ to feel, right? The ones where it hurts as much as it _feels good_.” Obito’s lips quirk into a smile, gleaming promises.

Kakashi keeps quiet as he follows the other out the room.

☩

The clock is ticking as Obito blows another puff of smoke into the air, sitting on the edge of the bed. His fingers are gently gliding through the soft tresses of Kakashi’s hair lying next to him. The doctor had given the other some painkillers after bandaging his torso, and Kakashi went to sleep soon after due to the medication’s drowsy effect.

Tilting his head down, Obito watches as Kakashi breathes evenly, sound asleep. He’s lying on his side, a cheek mushed into the mattress and both hands curled in front of his face. Obito trails his hand down, skimming a thumb at the other’s cheek, deep in thoughts.

_“Do you feel powerful like this? Does it make you happy?”_

Obito chuckles fondly at the memory. “You haven’t changed at all,” he murmurs to himself. “Still the same feisty kid from all those years ago. That’s what I like best about you, though.”

Leaning down, he brushes his lips against Kakashi’s ear. “Hey, when will you stop forgetting already? When will you remember again… the promise you made with me?” He lifts a hand to stroke Kakashi’s hair. “Because, you know, Kakashi… I’m still waiting for you to fulfill it.”

☩

Kakashi wakes up to light touches all over his face. Blinking hazily, his vision focuses to a creamy ceiling and dark hair falling onto his cheeks, tickling his skin. “What…”

“You’re finally awake?” Obito murmurs, giving one last nip on Kakashi’s jaw before pulling back up. “Come on, get up. You have a long day ahead of you.”

Kakashi whines softly as he sits up, Obito still peppering butterfly kisses down the side of his neck. “What am I doing today?”

“You,” Obito says, a smirk on his face, “are going on a date with me today, ‘Kashi.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kakashi widens his eyes as he looks up at the flashing signs in front of the building. Before he can voice out his surprise, however, a voice cuts through.

“You sure you don’t want me to come along, boss?”

“No, it’s fine,” Obito answers. “Just go hang in the nearby Mall. I’ll message you once we’re done.”

Kakashi watches as Kisame has a dubious expression on his face, obviously worried about letting his boss and Kakashi go off by themselves.

Hoshigaki Kisame, Uchiha Obito’s personal bodyguard and the one person around him the most, watching and protecting his every move. Kakashi’s heard the other’s sword skills are top-notch, and vaguely wonders who is actually better between Kisame, Nagato, and Konan when it comes to injuring and killing people.

“…I’m going to call a couple of guys to patrol around here just in case. I know this is within our territory, but…”

Obito shrugs. “Up to you.”

“If it were up to me, I would―” At the narrow of eyes from his boss, Kisame instantly clamps his mouth shut. “Okay, I got it. Have fun on your… _date_ , boss.” The man looks over to Kakashi warily, and the latter gives a small nod back.

Kisame gives a bow at Obito before walking away, and Kakashi blankly watches him go before he feels a tug at his hand.

“Come on, let’s go in,” Obito says, smiling.

Kakashi is kind of unnerved by how… _nice_ the other is being at the moment, and he glances up at the flashing signs again.

“What’s wrong?”

“You… You took me to… an _aquarium_?” Kakashi asks carefully.

“Yeah. I was going to take you to a zoo, but unfortunately they’re closed during winter.”

“But… why?”

“I like animals,” Obito replies nonchalantly. “Don’t you?”

Kakashi also does, but that’s besides the point. “Yes, but… why… a date?”

“I just wanted to do something nice for you. Would you have preferred we fuck at a club instead?”

The way Obito says it so casually, not bothering to lower his voice and making quite a few heads nearby turn to give them _looks_ , is making Kakashi blush as he ducks his head down in embarrassment. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just… surprised… Like, you’re being…” _so sweet_ , Kakashi wants to say. Why is Obito being so sweet and loving towards him? It almost feels like they’re… _dating_.

Are they? Kakashi’s not sure what they really are other than the fact that he is basically Obito’s… _whatever_ , to do as he pleases.

At this, Kakashi lets out a small gasp. “Wait, is this… Is this to make up for what happened at Amaterasu yesterday?” It can’t be, can it? Obito has no reason to.

The other just gives him a mysterious smile and says, “You can think what you like. Now, come on. Let’s go in.”

Kakashi nods, letting Obito drag him towards the entrance and gazing thoughtfully at the latter the entire time.

☩

It feels almost surreal, walking hand-in-hand with Obito as they go from attractions to attractions, looking at various wall-sized tanks colorful with various fish and corals swaying with the current. It’s beautiful, if Kakashi is being perfectly honest, and as the day goes by, he gets less cautious about why Obito is being so nice to him, and starts to enjoy the date, distracted by all the glowing glass walls separating an artificial ocean before him.

“Ah, dolphins…” Kakashi breathes, walking up and putting both palms against the glass, looking at several dolphins inside swim seamlessly in the water.

“You like dolphins?” Obito asks beside him.

Kakashi nods, distracted. He’s always been particularly fond of dolphins for some reason. Something about the way they always seem so happy and carefree, gliding fluidly through the currents, gives Kakashi hope that one day, he can be like that, too.

It’s a long while before Kakashi notices how quiet it has become, and he turns his head to see Obito watching him silently with an undecipherable gaze in his eyes. The way his dark eyes seem to pierce through Kakashi makes him flush, and he clears his throat. “L―Let’s move on,” he says, looking around for the next attraction, and catches something glimmering ahead. “Oh, jellyfish! Come, Obito, let’s take a look!”

Unthinkingly, Kakashi grabs onto Obito’s wrist and pulls him towards the large oval-shaped tank in the center of the room, the other keeping quiet the whole time as he follows.

“Wow, look at all these colors, so pretty…” Kakashi gasps, awed at the way the different colors of the jellyfish mix and swirl together, luminescent. “Look at this shade of blue, isn’t it―”

His words die in his throat as he turns towards Obito, breath hitching at the intense look directed at him.

“O―Obito?”

The other’s expression softens as his lips quirk into a small smile. “You really act like a child whenever you see something that amazes you. Your eyes light up in wonder and you get this giddy smile on your face. It’s really cute.”

Kakashi scowls immediately. “I’m not cute.”

Obito laughs lightly. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“I will,” Kakashi says, crossing his arms over his chest in defiant. “Also, I don’t get… _giddy_. That’s―That’s what little kids do, not me.”

“Mnn-hmn. I have to say, as cute as your pout is right now,” Kakashi is about to protest again when he feels a hand cupping his cheek, stroking gently, “your smile is much more beautiful.”

“W―What?”

“You have a beautiful smile, Kakashi. You should smile more.”

“I―” Kakashi stutters, feeling his face heat up. Before he can say anything more, Obito leans closer, and then there are lips pressing against his.

“Your smile is so beautiful,” Obito whispers against his lips, “I just want to kiss it off your face.”

And then before Kakashi has time to process, there are hands on his shoulders and he’s being slammed right onto the jellyfish tank. The small groan leaving his lips leaves enough time for Obito to push his tongue in, kissing him deeply as he crushes his body against Kakashi’s, pushing him further into the glass.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi tries to say between kisses, squirming as his back hit the cool glass. “N―Not here…! There are… people… around…”

The other pauses at his words, and fortunately relents. He settles for burrowing his head down, nipping at the junction where Kakashi’s neck meets his collarbones instead.

“Obito,” Kakashi mewls as he feels teeth sinking down into his skin.

“Alright.” Obito pulls back and lock eyes with Kakashi, and the latter finds himself shivering at the burning gaze directed at him. “But when we get home, I’m going to spread you out on my waterbed and fuck you so hard you won’t even be able to _crawl_ out my bedroom the next morning.”

Kakashi bites his lip, dropping his head, but he doesn’t protest. Obito smiles and tugs him towards the next room, and Kakashi obediently follows behind.

☩

Yahiko opens the door with a click and takes careful steps into the study room. The good thing about being the lover of the owner of the house is that the servants don’t even bat an eyelash if he just strolls inside and wanders around as he wishes.

He sits himself on the chair and turns on the computer. The password took awhile to crack, but he finally was able to decode it last night. As he types in the password―pressing each key that gradually forms a combination of letters and numbers that is very familiar to him―he feels a pang in his heart. It seems his target is really fond of him, even if what they have for each other isn't exactly _love_.

Or is it?

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Yahiko focuses on the newly-loaded screen. He wastes no time in accessing the database immediately.

Most of it is information he already knows, but he’s still amazed at the sheer amount of information being displayed. Another good thing that his target happens to be one of the highest ranking in the Elites. Sure, the Elites are the highest one can possibly go with the exception of being the boss, but what not a lot of people know is that there is a hierarchy within the Elites, too―a ranking within a ranking. And there are a select few people within their rank who undoubtedly hold more power than the rest of them. And his target just happens to be one of those select fews.

 _Then again, if he wasn’t so powerful, he wouldn’t be assigned as my target in the first place_ , Yahiko thinks grimly.

He checks through the data of Akatsuki’s history and its members. The current generation, he already knows, the _previous_ one, however…

He scrolls down the list. The former boss before Obito took over isn’t new information to him, but the second member on the list… The old boss’ right-hand man…

The last name is different... but the first name...

It cannot be a _coincidence_ , can it?

Before he can spare the time to contemplate, there’s a voice calling out, muffled through the walls. “Yahiko, you’re here?”

“Yeah, I’m in the study checking over our financial records for last month!” Quickly shutting down the computer, he grabs ahold of the book he has prepared beforehand and walks over to where the bookshelves are, leaning casually on it just as his target walks in.

Instantly, he gets pulled into a hug, his target wrapping tight arms around his shoulders. “Hey you.”

“Hey,” Yahiko replies, voice softening. “Had a long day at work today?”

The other grunts. “You can say that.”

“Then it’s good I’m here, huh?” Pulling back, Yahiko grins mischieviously at the other. “I’m going to make it all better, don’t worry,” he whispers, eyes twinkling as he leans in for a kiss.

All that’s on his mind, though, is the first name of the former right-hand man.

…Looks like he’ll have to do more research about this later.

☩

“Alright, say cheese!”

Kakashi tries for a small, awkward smile as Obito pulls him closer. The flash goes off shortly after.

It takes a few moments for it to be developed, so Kakashi looks through the various toys in the gift shop while they wait.

“Here,” Obito says, holding out a polaroid.

Kakashi takes it and silently gazes at the picture. Obito has a broad grin on with a hand wrapped around Kakashi’s waist, the latter half-surprised at the tug, and half in a shy smile. They’re standing in the center of a cutesy heart-shaped cut-out board formed by various sea creatures, with pink and blue lights flashing dreamily from the sides.

It looks… like they’re a couple. Like they’re lovers.

Like they’re _happy_ and _in love_.

Gnawing on the inside of his cheek, Kakashi carefully tucks the picture inside his wallet. He looks up to find Obito already staring at him.

“Do you like it?” the other asks with a quiet voice.

Kakashi nods.

“…Then I hope you’ll like this, too.”

He’s handed a small bag, the colorful gift wrappings of the aquarium decorating the outside. Inside, is a square box. Kakashi’s breath hitches as he opens it and stares at the interior.

“Kakashi―”

_“Kakashi.”_

_Kakashi looks up from his desk and walks over. “What is it, dad?”_

_“Here,” his dad says, fumbling with the box in his hand before giving it to Kakashi._

_Kakashi’s eyes widen as he opens it and looks inside. “Wow, dad, this is…”_

_“Congratulations for getting first place. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it again this year.” His dad scratches his neck, looking distinctly awkward. “I wanted to give you something as a present, but, well… the only experience I had in buying gifts was for your mom, who was a woman, so… I wasn’t really sure what to buy, and it might be a bit, uh, girly, but…”_

_“No, this is… this is beautiful, dad,” Kakashi breathes, staring at it again._

_Inside, is a necklace of a dolphin, the lights reflecting above making the silver gleam elegantly. There’s a small pearl the shape of a ball attached to the end of its tail._

_“It’s… I love it, dad. Thank you so much!” Kakashi says earnestly, smiling up at his dad. “And you know, I understood you were busy with work that day. I didn’t mind. Really!”_

_His dad simply smiles ruefully at him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I know I’m lacking a lot as a dad, and I can’t even be there for you most of the time due to my busy work schedules, but… I want you to know, I’m really proud of you, son. You’ve always been a good child, never asking for much and always working so hard to get good grades despite being left alone most of the time. I’m very happy that you’re my child, Kakashi.”_

_Kakashi feels tears starting to gather in the corners of his eyes when he says, “Dad, don’t say that. I’m happy that you’re my dad, too. One day, I’m going to grow up and be just like y―”_

“Kakashi?”

Kakashi gasps, blinking at Obito in surprise.

“…Are you okay?”

It’s only when Obito brushes a thumb across his cheek that Kakashi realizes there are tears rolling down his face. Sniffling, he tries to stutter out, “I―I’m fine, it’s just―”

“Do you not like the gift?”

“N―No! I love it, it’s―” Kakashi stares down at the box in his hand. The dolphin is a clear, crystal blue this time, but it’s still so beautiful, so _dazzling_ , so― “This is honestly so beautiful, I didn’t expect this―”

“You seemed to like dolphins a lot when we saw them, so I thought…”

“I do. And this―this is such a lovely gift.” Kakashi inhales steadily before gazing at the other with a sincere smile. “This makes me very happy, thank you.”

“I’m glad, then.” Obito continues to caress his cheek, wiping away a stray tear, before murmuring, “You know I’d buy _anything_ this world has to offer, as long as it makes you happy, right?”

“…Really?”

“Mnn-hmn,” Obito hums as he slowly pulls Kakashi into an embrace.

And there, nestled into Obito’s chest as the other’s arms are wrapped around him in a firm but not painful grip, Kakashi starts to feel things he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Like of warmth. Of safety.

Of something like _home_.

And of something else he’s never felt before, as Kakashi feels his heart flutter, thumping loudly inside his ears.

☩

His phone rings while they’re in the car on the drive home.

“Yes, hello?” Obito answers, feeling Kakashi’s eyes on him before the latter looks away towards the window instead.

_“I’ve been trying to reach you this entire week. Where have you been?”_

“I thought you said you were too busy for me,” he answers, lips tilted into a smirk.

 _“I am. That’s why when I need to talk to you, you better be available,”_ is the curt reply he gets back.

Obito hums, the hand not holding the phone settling onto Kakashi’s thigh next to him. He can feel the other jolt and shiver as Obito’s fingers tap invisible music notes onto his skin through the jeans.

_“Are you listening to me?”_

“Yes.” Obito suddenly squeezes Kakashi’s thigh, earning a soft gasp from the other man.

 _“What was―Oh god, don’t tell me you’re talking to me while fucking one of your toys again.”_ There’s an exasperated and disgusted sigh on the other line.

“With the way we talk to each other, one has to wonder who’s the boss between us, huh?” Obito asks lightly while continuing to massage the soft flesh in his hand. His smirk spreads as he sees Kakashi struggling to clamp his mouth shut―probably in an effort to stop the moans from coming out.

_“Please. As if I’ve ever bought your whole ‘I’m a tough, scary mafia boss” act, Uchiha Obito. I know you too well by now.”_

Obito chuckles as the car comes to a stop in front of his house. “Mnn. That, I agree.” Turning to Kakashi beside him, he says, “Hey baby, go inside my room and wait for me, okay? I’ll be right there.”

He watches the way Kakashi simultaneously widens his eyes in surprise and blush at the pet name, before stiffly nodding and getting out of the car. Signalling Kisame to go for his break, too, Obito finally leans back and relaxes on the expensive leather seat.

 _“‘Baby’? Really?”_ the other on the line repeats in a dry tone.

“You _wish_ I called you baby, don’t lie.” Before a protest can be heard, Obito continues, “Now, let’s talk business. Any new information regarding our latest dealings?”

“Well…”

☩

Kakashi steps out of the shower and sits on Obito’s bed as he dries his hair. His eyes are narrowed in concentration as he recalls Obito’s conversation on the phone earlier. Whoever he was speaking to… seems to be an important person. To Akatsuki? To _Obito_? The way they spoke so casually to each other… Minato has briefed him in the central figures of Akatsuki, but not how close they are to their boss. Someone who is apparently close enough to Obito that can speak so informally with him… 

So lost in his thoughts, Kakashi physically jumps as he feels arms wrapping around him from behind and a tongue licking a wet strip up the back of his neck.

“What are you thinking about, baby, so focused like that?” Obito murmurs against his skin.

“N―Nothing. Just―Wait, what’s with the baby?”

“Isn’t it cute? I think it suits you.”

Kakashi frowns, trying to swirl his head but Obito has practically molded himself against Kakashi’s back, leaving no room to turn around. “I’m not―I’m not a baby.”

“Mnn, you’re not a baby,” Obito agrees. “But you’re _my_ baby.” Hiking a hand up Kakashi’s chest, he pinches at a nipple as he asks, “ _Right_ , Kakashi?”

Kakashi slaps a palm to his mouth to stop all the sounds from coming out as Obito continues to play with the bud through his shirt.

He might’ve taken too long to answer, for there is a hand grabbing a fistful of his hair, jerking his head back as Obito sinks his teeth down on the juncture where his neck meets his shoulder, and a hiss of, “I asked you a question, Kakashi.”

Kakashi whimpers, skin tingling as he feels Obito licking over the spot he’s just bitten. “Y―Yes. I’m your… _baby_ ,” he spits out harshly.

He feels a rumble of chuckle from behind. “Still so feisty.”

Before Kakashi can form a reply back, Obito is getting off the bed, the former blinking confused eyes at him.

“Take off your clothes and sit back at the headboard. You’ll need the support.”

“W―What?”

“You didn’t forget, did you? I told you I’d fuck you here on this bed once we got home.” Obito flicks Kakashi’s forehead teasingly before walking away to the walk-in closet nearby.

Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he moves to remove all his clothes and leans against the pillows at the head of the bed.

Just because he’s done this before doesn’t make it any easier this time. He can’t help but squirm as Obito trots back, eyes raking up and down Kakashi’s body. It’s nothing the other hasn’t seen before, but Kakashi still feels so exposed… so _vulnerable_ , like this.

Obito settles onto the mattress, facing him, and grabs one of Kakashi’s hand, tucking something inside his palm.

Kakashi brings it closer to look. It’s a small bottle. “What’s… this?”

“Lube,” Obito replies. “I want you to prepare yourself.”

“ _W―What_?” Kakashi chokes, hand clenching on the bottle.

Obito clicks his tongue at him. “We really need to do something to expand that vocabulary of yours, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi huffs, affronted. _I was valedictorian of my class. I probably know more vocabularies than a mafia boss who does nothing but bosses people around all day_ , he thinks.

“Come on, I’m waiting.”

Kakashi snaps his head up, remembering the issue at hand. “You want me to… _prepare myself_?”

“Mnn-hmn. I just don’t feel like doing much today. Either you prepare yourself, or I’ll take you raw.”

Kakashi shudders at the nonchalant tone. “N―No, I’ll… Can I―Can I go to the bathroom to do it?”

“Nope! I want to watch you do it.”

“Sadist,” Kakashi hisses.

“Maybe,” Obito singsongs before he leans down and captures Kakashi’s lips in a deep kiss, nibbling on each of the latter’s lips ravenously. “Now hurry up or I’ll shove my cock into you right now. I don’t like being kept waiting,” he breathes into the kiss.

With a whimper, Kakashi nods and uncaps the bottle, Obito leaning back leisurely to regard him. Kakashi takes a deep breath, eyes glaring at the other, before dipping his fingers into the bottle and reaching behind.

“No. Spread your legs and do it from the front. I want to watch as your fingers disappear inside your tiny hole.”

Kakashi’s breath hitches. “Obito, please…”

The other simply narrows his eyes at him in warning.

Sniffling, Kakashi clenches his eyes shut and does as told, legs stretching out to either sides of him and revealing the small, pink entrance in the middle.

“Wider,” Obito commands.

Body trembling as he stretches his legs imperceptibly wider, Kakashi’s voice shakes as he asks, “Is this good enough?”

The other hums as a reply. “Now prepare yourself.”

Taking another desperate gulp of oxygen, Kakashi trails his hand down his own body and tentatively inserts a middle finger in.

Exhaling steadily, Kakashi tries to focus on anything _but_ the finger in his own ass. It just feels so… _strange_ , his own fingers moving in and out of himself like this. It’s nothing like when Obito had his fingers inside him, since now he has to physically make the effort to move his own hand, instead of just lying back and take it.

It’s so weird, so unnatural, and Kakashi―Kakashi’s not used to this.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?”

Obito’s face comes into his vision, and Kakashi realizes with a start his eyes were closed this entire time.

“Have you even masturbated before, or did you just will it off? You’ve definitely never touched yourself like this, right? A finger up your own ass. Can you feel yourself inside, Kakashi? Touch your own tight, hot walls? Feel it pulsating beneath your fingertip?”

Kakashi lets out a breathy moan at Obito’s words, finger unconsciously digging deeper inside himself to seek that pleasure.

“Put another finger in and spread them, baby. Find that spot you love so much. Let me see you get undone by yourself,” Obito murmurs huskily, and Kakashi moans again.

Doing as told, Kakashi obediently slides another finger in and scissors them, feeling his own walls clutching on the digits, throbbing wildly. Obito was right, it does feel so tight―so _hot_. It’s so hot all over and Kakashi is increasingly finding it hard to breathe properly.

“How does it feel, Kakashi? It’s a bit weird, right, because you’re new to this? But it also feels _good_ , doesn’t it? The knowledge that you yourself can make your own body feel so good. Do you like it? Do you like fingering yourself, Kakashi?”

“Obito, _please_ ,” Kakashi sobs, his free hand reaching out blindly to grab onto Obito’s bicep, leaving a trail of nail scratches down his arm. “I can’t―I can’t do this, it’s too much, my head is spinning―”

“Shhh,” Obito hushes. “Try to calm down and then answer my question, Kakashi. Do you like fingering yourself?”

“I―I don’t know―” Kakashi’s voice breaks as one of his fingers accidentally brushes over his prostate, a garbled sound slipping from his lips.

“Alright, shhh,” Obito soothes, placing a kiss on his forehead, now damp with sweat. “I’ll help you figure it out, okay? Let you compare and see which you like better.”

Before Kakashi can question what Obito meant, he lets out a choked sound as he feels another finger, not of his own, wedging inside him. “ _O―Obito―_ ”

The other continues to plant soft kisses all over his face as his lone finger pushes relentlessly inside Kakashi, bumping into Kakashi’s own, and somehow goes straight to his prostate, pressing ruthlessly against it. Kakashi feels himself losing strength as he collapses onto Obito’s chest, their fingers still between them.

“Obito, _please…_ ” he mewls, the two fingers inside himself lethargic and unmoving as he lets Obito take over, rubbing on his walls instead. “ _Obito, Obito, Obito―_ ”

“You still haven’t answered me, Kakashi. Do you like fingering yourself? Or do you like me fingering you better?”

Kakashi just burrows himself further into the crook of Obito’s neck, shaking his head.

“Baby, answer me or I’ll do this all night.” He pauses, then nips on Kakashi’s skin. “Or, would you like that? Do you _want_ me to fingerfuck you all night until you can’t tell left from right, day from night? That you won’t be able to remember your own _name_ anymore―just the name you’ll be moaning out?”

“No, please, I _can’t―_ ” His voice breaks again as Obito won’t stop digging his finger deep inside Kakashi, knowing perfectly all the ways to turn him on. “It’s too much, please…”

“Then answer my question, Kakashi.”

Abruptly, Obito stills, and Kakashi gradually finds his vision clearing. Bracing a hand on the other’s shoulder, Kakashi pulls back to look at Obito.

The other simply tilts his head with a smile. “I’m waiting.”

“I…” Kakashi starts, then drops his head, silverly bangs covering his eyes and flushed face. “I like your fingers better, of course. You always know what to do…”

He hears a low chuckle from above, before Obito leans down and whispers against his lips. “You say you like my fingers better, but how does it compare to my cock, then?”

“Huh? _Ah…_ ” A whimper leaves his mouth as Obito slowly pulls his finger out, taking Kakashi’s own along with him.

A tongue delve itself between Kakashi’s parted lips, kissing him deeply, before Obito pulls back and casually says, “I still don’t feel like doing much today, so.”

“So… what…?” Kakashi asks warily.

The corner of his lips curl into a smirk as Obito looks at Kakashi dead in the eyes and says, “Ride me, Kakashi. I want to see you fuck yourself on my cock.”

Kakashi freezes, his voice cracking as he says, “ _What?_ ”

☩

Obito clicks his tongue at the younger. “Terrible vocabulary, really. I feel like that’s the only thing you’ve said to me so far, aside from 'Obito' and ‘please’, of course.”

Instantly, there’s a spread of crimson staining the other’s cheeks, and Obito watches how adorable he looks, stuttering out, “That’s because you keep― _saying_ , and _doing_ ―weird things!”

Obito tilts his head in mock confusion. “‘Weird things’?”

Kakashi nods vigorously. “You―You’re kinky! And a sadist! And you keep―you keep asking me to do… _stuff_.”

“‘Stuff’? Like what kind of stuff?”

“Like―Like this…!” Kakashi waves a hand back and forth between them.

“What’s ‘ _this_ ’? My waterbed? Your white skin just begging to be marked? My cock? Which is waiting for you, by the way.”

“That’s precisely what I meant,” Kakashi growls, frustration evident on his face, and Obito laughs lightly.

“But I did all the work last time. Don’t you think it’s only fair for me to lie back while you pleasure me this time?”

If possible, Kakashi’s face gets even redder, but he still huffs and hisses, “If you’re counting it like that, then didn’t I do the work when we were at the couch that night?”

Obito hums. “Did you? As I recall, I was the one fucking your mouth while you just kneeled on the floor and _took_ it, didn’t you?”

Kakashi sucks in a breath, lips trembling. “Why do you… why are you always so… _explicit_?”

“Do you not like it?”

“It’s _embarrassing_ ,” he mutters, looking away.

“Is it?” Obito asks softly, reaching a hand out and trailing it down Kakashi’s quivering thigh, all the way to the puckered entrance still slick with lube. “Is it more embarrassing than your hole clenching around pure air, just begging for something to fill it?” A thumb rubs on the outer rim before pushing in, earning a sharp gasp from the other.

“Obito…”

Obito smiles triumphantly before pulling Kakashi close with his other hand and smashing their lips together. He can feel Kakashi’s entire body shudder as he plunges a second finger inside, wasting no time to probe at the soft walls sucking him in.

Breaking the kiss, he stares into Kakashi’s eyes, dazed and hooded, and murmurs, “I want you to ride me, okay?”

“I… I don’t know how,” Kakashi weakly protests, but from the way he keeps letting out soft sighs of pleasure as Obito fingers him, the latter can tell he’s close to giving in.

“I’ll teach you. Come on, don’t you want to do this for me? Be a _good boy_ for me?”

Kakashi’s breath hitches, pupils dilating at the words. “Good boy?”

Obito nods, leaning in and licking a wet strip from Kakashi’s jawline up to the back of his earlobe. “Be good for me, okay? I want you to fuck yourself on me and make me feel good. Can you do that, ‘Kashi?”

There’s a long stretch of moment where nothing can be heard aside from Kakashi’s heavy breathing as Obito continues to nip at his nape, before Kakashi finally says, voice barely above whisper, “Okay.”

Hiding a smirk against the curve of Kakashi’s neck, Obito pulls back, taking his fingers out, and gives a peck on the other’s cheek. “Good boy.” He proceeds to scoot back, hitting the pillows at the headboard and leaning comfortably against them. Fingers pulling at his pants to unzip, Obito looks up when there’s another hand covering his own, stopping him.

“Why are you always clothed whenever we do it but I’m always bared?” Kakashi mutters with his head down, clearly abashed.

“Hmn, I don’t know. I guess it’s because no one will take my clothes off for me,” Obito sing-songs as a reply.

Pursing his lips, Kakashi gives a glare at him before undressing Obito himself, pulling off his shirt, pants, and underwear. Still scowling at him, Kakashi then straddles his thighs. Obito’s eyes linger on the way Kakashi’s pale arms and legs contrast nicely on his tanned skin, before looking up at him with a fond smile.

“We’re so perfect like this.”

Kakashi snaps his gaze to Obito in surprise, but before he can say anything, Obito grips both hands on the other’s hips to lift him up.

“Ready?”

Kakashi blinks nervous eyes at him before nodding. Bracing himself with both palms flat on Obito’s toned stomach, he slowly drops himself down.

Obito tries to exhale steadily as he feels an _unbearably_ intoxicating heat enveloping him. Kakashi is as tight as the first time they had sex, and even though he has been fingered to _oblivion_ earlier, the walls are still clutching onto his cock, throbbing wildly.

“Obito…”

Obito lifts his eyes up to stare at the other, taking in how beautiful he looks, cheeks flushing and lips quivering as his hands claw at Obito’s abs aimlessly, probably unsure what to do next. “You’re doing good, baby. Now try lifting yourself up and then down again. Can you do that?”

Whimpering, Kakashi digs his fingernails into Obito’s skin, most likely drawing blood, before picking himself up and diving down. It starts out slow― _too_ slow for Obito’s taste, and he has to restrain himself not to just flip Kakashi over and pound into him―but gradually, the other is getting the hang of it, falling down onto his cock at a rhythmic pace.

“That’s right, you’re doing so well, Kakashi. Look at the way you’re sinking onto me. Does it feel good? Tell me how it feels.”

“It―It feels…” His voice breaks off into a long-drawn moan when his footing slips and he accidentally slams himself onto Obito’s cock with great force, gravity pulling him down. “Oh god, Obito, I don’t know if I can― _ahh!_ ” His fingers splay out, trying to find purchase onto Obito’s chest as the latter thrusts up, embedding himself into Kakashi even further.

“Look at the way you’re bouncing on my cock like that. You like it, don’t you? You said you don’t know how but your hips are moving all by themselves, aren’t they?” He punctuates it with a slap towards the back of Kakashi’s hips, half hitting the latter’s butt. “Look at the way your ass fucking _jiggles_ for me. You want it, don’t you? You _like_ fucking yourself on my cock.”

“Obito, _please_ ,” Kakashi mewls, tears in his eyes and thighs shaking due to the overwhelming sensation as Obito continues to whisper dirty words and rock into him simultaneously, the head of Obito’s cock relentlessly pressing against his sweet spot.

“Answer me, Kakashi.”

“I―I don’t know―”

Another smack. Another sob. “Try again.”

“I―” Kakashi chokes, head dropping back limply, baring his throat as he suddenly releases, spilling all over his chest and Obito’s stomach. There are streaks of white painting his body, but all Obito can focus on as he takes in the scene before him is a jingle of something flashing, glinting against the light at the center of Kakashi’s chest.

The crystal dolphin necklace Obito bought him earlier, swinging like a pendulum as its owner shakes, coming down from his high.

…Swinging… Catching the light…

It was the same that time, too.

_“Really?” Obito asks with a tilt of his head._

_“Yes!”_

_“…Is that a promise, then?”_

_“Yes!” Kakashi exclaims, tipping himself forward with a determined gaze, the pendant around his neck falling out of his shirt as a result. “It’s a promise! I swear I’ll find you again, and when I do, I will definitely―”_

“Obito?”

Obito blinks slowly, his vision merging into focus, and looks up to see Kakashi staring at him in confusion, and―is that worried in his eyes?

Hands sliding from the other’s hips down to his thigh, Obito chuckles to himself as he realizes he just abruptly went into a daze while they were having sex. Of course Kakashi is confused.

“Is it…” Kakashi starts, voice hesitant. “Is it because I, umn, finished already? I’m really sorry, I couldn’t help it! You can, umn, continue doing that… _thing_ you do… I mean…”

Obito barks out a sudden laugh, amusement lacing his voice as he pulls Kakashi down into a kiss. “You’re so cute.”

“I’m not!” Kakashi automatically protests before he bites on his bottom lip, looking nervous again. “Are… Are you mad at me?”

Obito laughs again as he presses a soft kiss on the other’s cheek. Kakashi thought Obito was mad at him because he had come first, and that was why Obito had stopped moving.

 _God, how adorable can this boy get?_ Obito thinks.

“You’re going to ruin me someday, Kakashi.”

“Huh?”

With a strong and swift strength, Obito flips them over, Kakashi’s back hitting the cool mattress of the waterbed instead.

“Obito?” Kakashi asks warily as he takes in the predatory gaze in Obito’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you,” Obito says with a sweet smile. “I _will_ be, however, if we don’t finish this. It’s not fair that you’ve come already and I haven’t, right?”

“I… guess…”

“Then let me make true of my words back at the Aquarium and fuck you so hard you won’t be able to _crawl_ out of the bedroom come morning, okay?”

A whimper escapes his lips, but all Kakashi does is nod and reaches a hand out to link their fingers together. Obito stares in shock for a split second before recovering, lips curled into a wide smile, and pushes back in.

☩

The room is dark with only the moonlight filtering in through the windows as Obito takes a drag of his cigarette. He watches as the smoke spreads from his lips to around the room before peering down.

Kakashi is sleeping on his side, facing him with arms tucked close to his chest. Gingerly, Obito extends a hand out and hooks a finger around the chain on the other’s neck, pulling the pendant free to gleam against his palm.

“It’s not a silver dolphin like your old one, but…” Obito whispers to himself, looking back at Kakashi and how calm―how _peaceful_ ―he looks while sleeping. “You’ll like the new one I gave you, won’t you?” Gripping the pendant inside his palm, he chuckles bitterly to himself. “I can’t tell if I want this to be a new start for us, or… I wish for you to remember again.”

Sucking in a breath, he grabs his phone and punches in one of his first speed dials.

“Yes, boss?”

“Tell Konan I have a new mission for her soon.”

Kisame hums on the other line. “And should I tell her what her mission will be so she can prepare?”

“Just that she’ll be training someone how to handle a gun―how to use it as a weapon to protect. To harm. To _kill_.”

“Right. And I’m going to venture a guess that this certain ‘someone’ is the one who just joined the Elites a few days ago, am I right?”

“Maybe,” he says lightly before hanging up the call.

Glancing back to the person on the bed still soundly asleep, Obito bends down and feels around underneath the bed frame, arm coming up with fingers wrapped around a small handgun.

“Hey, Kakashi,” he murmurs, nudging the other’s cheek against the cool metal. “If I give you a gun… will you ever point the barrel at me?” Leaning down, he brushes his lips against Kakashi’s forehead in a soft kiss. “Will you, one day, ever use the gun I give you… to put a bullet through my heart?”

☩

“So we meet again.”

Kakashi narrows his eyes at the delighted smile on the other’s face. Hesitantly, he steps inside the building and pauses a good distance away from the woman.

“This is the first time we’ve properly met each other, isn’t it? Like, one on one. _Privately_ ,” Konan emphasizes. She tilts her head at the gloomy expression on Kakashi’s face. “You’re sure _thrilled_ to be here.”

“It wasn’t my choice, I assure you,” Kakashi says, recalling a conversation from two nights back.

_“Konan?”_

_“Yeah. She’ll teach you how to handle your shiny, new gun. It’s your first time with a gun after all, isn’t it?”_

_“Sure,” Kakashi answers casually. “But why her? Why couldn’t it be Yahiko? Or you? Or even Kisame?” Even though Obito’s bodyguard has been doing nothing but casting suspicious looks at Kakashi whenever he sees him, Kakashi would still rather prefer hostility than, well, feeling creeped out. Because Konan is just_ creepy _, okay._

_“Busy, busy, busy,” Obito replies, checking off his questions with his fingers. “Konan is taking a break from her missions. She’s also very good with a gun. Why?” He glances at Kakashi with a amiable smile. “Do you not like her?”_

_“I don’t know if I like her, but she’s just… kind of creepy,” Kakashi admits._

_Obito’s smile only spreads wider. “She’s a bit…_ unique _. But she’s very good to me, so you don’t have to worry. She’ll treat you well.”_

‘She’ll treat you well’, Kakashi recalls. If by ‘well’ Obito had meant Konan giving him the hives just from the way her eyes rake up and down Kakashi’s body like she’s a doctor at an examining table, then sure. _‘Well’_.

“Do you ever not look like you just swallowed a lemon?”

Kakashi snaps out of his thoughts and only frowns even more. “What? Of course I do. Just not with you.”

“Hmn, true. You probably make other kinds of expressions when you’re with our boss, huh? Like what might’ve happened at Amaterasu that night.”

Kakashi purses his lips as he tries not to flush. He had almost forgotten Konan was one of the few Elites there that night. “I thought we were here for my gun training.”

“That, we are,” Konan hums, swaying around to the table behind her. There’s an assortment of weapons spread out, and she picks up a switchblade and flicks it open. “Honestly, it’s not my favorite. My preferred toy is a knife. When you put it through someone, you can actually _feel_ the way their skin try to resist the blade piercing into them, you know? You can feel it vibrating even from your grip at the handle.”

Kakashi shivers at how nonchalant Konan’s tone is from talking about such a thing.

“Guns. You can’t feel anything but the ricocheting of the bullet as you shoot. It’s a lot less messy but also, well, _boring_. Clean cut. It’s honestly more of Nagato’s area, not mine.” Konan brings the blade up to her face and sticks out his tongue, and for one horrifying moment, Kakashi thinks she’s going to actually _lick_ the blade.

Thankfully, she just tilts her head back towards Kakashi with a mischievous grin. “I’m guessing you’re more of a gun person, too.”

“I don’t know what I am,” Kakashi says. “But I do know you’re a creep.”

“Now that’s just mean!” Konan exclaims, then suddenly drops her voice. “Are you sure you should be saying such stuff to someone with a weapon in their hand?”

“Are you going to dash here and stab me?” Kakashi asks, gesturing to the wide distance between them.

Konan simply smiles, and then before Kakashi can comprehend it, he feels something whooshing past his face, fluttering his hair, and then a loud noise after.

Kakashi blinks in shock at his fallen strands of hair on the ground before turning around. The knife Konan was holding moments prior is currently embedded onto the wall behind Kakashi.

“Knives aren’t just used for close-range combat, you know. You can do lots of things with it,” Konan shrugs, picking up a gun. “I’m not the best knife-wielder in Akatsuki for nothing.”

Kakashi tries to calm his racing heart as he thinks about how if the knife had been off by a few millimeters, it would’ve _stabbed through his face_.

 _Konan isn’t the second-best killer in Akatsuki for nothing_ , Kakashi thinks with a shudder. It makes him wonder how monstrous _Nagato_ must be, then.

Akatsuki, and everyone in them―they’re all batshit crazy and dangerous.

And Kakashi is now one of them.

☩

It’s been four hours, and Kakashi’s in the middle of endlessly shooting at targets when Konan’s phone rings. After taking a look at it, she calls for a break.

“What?”

“Someone’s visiting. Besides, you look like you can use a break yourself,” Konan says, glancing at the sweat dripping down Kakashi’s temple.

Kakashi scowls and takes the headphones, shooting glasses, and gloves off. Throwing them onto a nearby table, he follows Konan out of the training room.

Well, this is certainly… unexpected.

“This is certainly unexpected,” the new arrival says, glancing from Kakashi to Konan. “I didn’t know you’re chummy with the new kid already.”

Konan laughs. “I wish,” she says, and Kakashi stares at her incredulously. “But nah, I’m training him on using a gun. Boss’ order.”

“I see,” the red-haired man nods, then looks back at Kakashi. “Yo. I know our boss has introduced my name before, but in case you forgot, I’m Nagato.”

Kakashi nods slowly, eyes still wide.

“You look like you’re meeting face to face with your favorite idol for the first time,” Konan teases.

“I’m not, it’s just―” Kakashi is kind of in awe, because, well. So _this_ is Akatsuki’s notorious #1 killer? Even more skilled than Konan?

“This isn’t fair, you didn’t react like this when you met me!” Konan complains.

“That’s because you’re a creep!”

Nagato barks out a laugh. “Wow, you were right. The kid is feisty. One of a kind, huh.”

“What are you talking about?” Kakashi blinks, confused.

“Nothing,” Nagato replies, turning to Konan. “So yeah, I need the Benelli B76. We still have that in stock?”

Konan hums. “Should be. Let me go check.” With that, she heads into another hallway, leaving Kakashi alone with Nagato.

A few moments of silence pass by as Kakashi tries not to fidget.

Nagato is the one who breaks it. “Now that I’ve had a proper look at you, you’re even hotter up close.”

Kakashi instantly frowns. “Oh god, are you a creep, too?”

Nagato chuckles, skimming his fingers over the weapons on the nearby table. “Nah. You’re hot, but I’m not like Konan. I stay true, you know?”

“‘Not like Konan’?”

Nagato shrugs. “You can probably tell, right? She’s flighty. Goes from target to target. And right now, it looks like you’re her newest target.”

Kakashi’s frown deepens. “‘Target’? I’m not an object for her to shoot for. And I’m with Obito. Everyone knows that.”

“‘Obito’”, he says. “Looks like Konan and Deidara were completely right,” Nagato mumbles to himself.

“What?”

Nagato smiles mysteriously. “All I’m saying is, your life’s not going to be dull.”

Kakashi is about to question him further when Konan returns. “Here you go, a sparkling new Benelli B76. Last of its kind in existence, since the line was discontinued.”

Nagato smirks, taking the gun from Konan and flicking at the revolver. “I know. That’s why I want it.”

Konan shakes her head with a fond smile.

“Well, I’ll be off now. Thanks, Konan. And it was nice meeting you, Kakashi.”

Kakashi manages a jerky nod at Nagato when the latter pauses in his step and glances back, grinning at him. “Hey, just because I said I’m not personally interested in you doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to watch though.”

“Huh?”

“If the boss and you ever want to continue your… _show_ from Amaterasu that night, hit me up! I’ll pay gold for a front-row seat of two very hot people getting it on,” he says, winking.

Kakashi blushes furiously as he screams “Pervert!” at Nagato’s retreating back, who is laughing humorously as he walks away.

“Seriously. All of you in Akatsuki are perverts! Creeps! You’re all―You all have issues!” Kakashi huffs, glaring at Konan who is laughing as well.

“What Nagato said isn’t a lie, though…” Konan says as her laughter dies down. “The boss and you doing it… it must be very hot, no?”

“…Konan?” Kakashi asks warily as the woman trails a lone finger from Kakashi’s neck down to his chest.

“Hey, Kakashi, tell me,” Konan murmurs, eyes glazed as she stares at Kakashi. “How does it feel when the boss fucks you?”

“ _What?_ ”

“It must feel heavenly, right?”

“ _What―_ ”

☩

“―Did as you instructed and taught him all the basics. His accuracy is pretty good. He can shoot from targets as far as Level Six, now.”

“I see.”

“…In fact, it almost feels like he’s missing some shots on purpose.”

“Oh?”

Konan hums, nodding. “He tries so hard to fumble with the gun, but. It’s _me_ , you know. I can tell when someone doesn’t know how to properly shoot, and when someone is _pretending_ to not know how to properly shoot. His grip shakes too obviously. His aim off-center with calculating precision. Like he’s trying to _not_ do well.”

“Really.”

“Mnn-hmn! Everything is done with so much precision, it’s impressive, to be honest. I feel like… he could pass Level Ten no problem, if he so wishes.” Konan smiles innocently. “Like he actually knows how to use a gun, and is actually pretty damn good at it.”

The other simply smiles back at her.

“You don’t seem surprised, boss,” Konan observes. “You knew this, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” Obito chuckles and leans back on his chair.

“Then this means you have some other plan for me with Kakashi, right? And not simply teaching him how to use a gun when he might actually be the best gun user in Akatsuki aside from Nagato and me?”

The other links his hands together and rests his chin on them, smiling fondly at Konan. “This is why you’re my favorite, Konan. You’re so smart and always one step ahead of everyone else. Always knowing what I want you to do before I even have to say a thing.”

Konan scowls at the words. “I might be your favorite, but I’m not the one you want,” she mutters.

Obito sighs softly, looking out the window. “You know it wouldn’t work, Konan. We’re too similar to each other. It’s not what I’m looking for.”

“Right, because what you want is someone completely opposite of you,” Konan replies, lifting her head and staring directly into Obito’s eyes. “Someone who’s innocent. Pure. Someone like Kakashi.”

“I don’t know why you would think that,” Obito says cooly. “After all, I’ve fucked so many people―some as dirty and rotten as we are.”

“Yeah, you fucked them. And then threw them away afterward like a used tissue. But Kakashi―Kakashi’s _different_ , isn’t he? You―You actually _care_ for him.”

Obito’s face is kept carefully blank as he tilts his head. “I don’t see why it’s any of your business who I fuck. Are you jealous? Are you hurt? Konan,” Obito calls, and Konan flinches at the dark, heartless gaze directed at her. “Do you want to quit? I told you since day one that you can walk out anytime. I will never chain you here.”

“No,” Konan replies, trying to keep her voice under control. “I will do whatever it is you wish for me to do―just say the word, and I’ll do it.”

Obito’s lips slowly curl into a smile, and he nods approvingly.

☩

“So how were those training sessions?”

“Tedious. Konan is…” Kakashi trails off, wincing.

Yahiko laughs. “Yeah, Konan is a bit… _off_. Just don’t get on her bad side and you should be alright.”

“More like I’m _too_ much on her good side and I don’t want to be,” Kakashi mumbles.

“Hmn?”

“Nothing. So how’s it going with the uh, investigation?”

At this, Yahiko suddenly looks serious as he frowns in deep thought. “Still going. I think I might’ve found something, but… I need to research a bit more to know for sure. I found something in my target’s computer.”

“Your target?” Kakashi repeats, pausing.

“Yeah… It was tough to crack, you know. The password. And then…” Yahiko ducks his head as he kicks at a pebble on the ground. “Low and behold, the password was actually my birth place – the name of the village, which is not written on my ID card – and the date. I told him that when I was trying to get close to him, and he used it as the password. Stupid.”

Kakashi glances at Yahiko, contemplating. “Yahiko,” he calls out.

“Hmn?”

“Have you… Have you ever thought what might happen if it goes… wrong?”

“Wrong?”

“Like. If you did something you’re not supposed to, while on this mission.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Kakashi licks his lips, wondering if he should say this, and how should he say this. “You know how we’re both using people to climb up, right? But what if… what if that person treats you really well, and you start to…”

“Kakashi…” Yahiko frowns at him.

Kakashi sighs. “Do you really, _really_ , not care one tiny bit for your target? From what you’ve told me, he seems to really like you. Don’t you feel bad? Don’t you―I don’t know.” He groans in frustration, not sure how to put this.

There’s a stretch of silence after that, and then Yahiko says, “I think I do. Like him. Maybe even _love_ him. But it’s―It’s like, does it matter? At the end of the day, I’ll be the one shoving him in jail.”

“Will you be able to do it?” Kakashi asks quietly.

“Will _you_?”

“I’m―”

Yahiko spins around and bores his eyes into Kakashi’s. “Do you like Uchiha Obito?”

Kakashi stills, gnawing on his lip. “No,” he answers honestly. “But I feel like I could.” Unconsciously, he reaches a hand up to trace over the crystal dolphin dangling over his chest. “I will, if this keeps going.”

“Kakashi―” Yahiko is interrupted by his phone ringing, and answers it instead.

Kakashi doesn’t even have to ask who it is, judging from the way Yahiko’s eyes light up as he picks up the call, his smile just a little more bright and _genuine_.

“I have to go, sorry," the other says as he hangs up. "That was―”

“Your target.”

Yahiko widens his eyes in surprise. “Yeah…” He scratches his neck awkwardly. “Listen, we’ll talk about this later, okay? Don’t worry too much. It’s okay to let yourself… _feel_ , as long as you know what you need to do in the end.”

Kakashi only gives a jerky nod as he watches Yahiko walk away. Sighing, he slumps down onto the grass and cradles his head in his hands.

_“Do you like it?”_

_“…Then I hope you’ll like this, too.”_

_“You know I’d buy anything this world has to offer, as long as it makes you happy, right?”_

_“Kakashi―”_

_“Tell me, do you want me, too?”_

“You are not going to fall in love with Uchiha Obito. You are not. You are _not_ ,” Kakashi chants to himself.

The crystal dolphin digging into his palm as he clutches onto it like a lifeline is telling him otherwise.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW : Non-consensual touching (again, not between Obito and Kakashi)

“And this one, see this silver marking at the bottom? That indicates it’s an original.”

Kakashi nods, attentively listening to Konan’s words. The other might act a bit… mental, at times, but her knowledge about guns is top-notch. Just from the past two weeks alone, he’s already learned more about all the different types of guns from Konan than he ever did while he was at the police academy.

“Some of the duds can look very authentic, but the trick is to―”

“I see you’re doing good work.”

Both of them snap their heads towards the entrance, where Obito stands, leaning sideways against the doorframe and watching them.

Konan bows and lets out a, “Boss,” but Kakashi doesn’t even notice, eyes fixed on the newcomer in the room.

“Obito…”

“Hey, baby,” Obito says, walking towards them and pulling Kakashi into a deep kiss. The gun in his hand drops with a _clank!_ on the table, but he doesn’t notice that, either.

He definitely doesn’t notice Konan stiffening next to them before she blinks rapidly and goes back to normal.

“What are you doing here?” Kakashi breathes as they break the kiss.

“I needed to get some weapons,” Obito replies, shifting his eyes to Konan. The two seem to be staring at each other with unspoken words as Kakashi glances between them, puzzled.

“What do you need, boss?” Konan says at last, breaking the silent.

Obito smiles sweetly, his hand still on Kakashi’s hip as he replies, “I want the new set of Colt Python.”

“Affirmative,” Konan says, bowing. Giving one last look at her boss, she walks out of the room.

Obito turns to Kakashi then, tilting his head. His smile curls into amusement. “You look so dazed. Did my kiss affect you that much?”

“What? N―No!” Kakashi scowls, trying to get away, but Obito simply places his free hand on Kakashi’s other hip, caging him in. “It’s just―It’s been… well, awhile.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been really busy lately,” Obito says earnestly.

Kakashi ducks his head down. “You don’t have to say sorry to me,” he mutters.

Ever since he started training with Konan, he barely sees Obito anymore. The other man is off doing “business deals”, or whatever, usually arriving home late or not at all. It leaves Kakashi a lot of free time to wander around the house, but he’s not sure if there are cameras placed in the rooms yet to fully snoop around. Besides, there are too many servants wandering about, cleaning, since Obito’s house is more like a palace.

“Did you miss me, ‘Kashi?” Obito asks, nuzzling into the crook of Kakashi’s neck, jostling the latter out of his thoughts.

Kakashi gives a small nod.

He can feel the corner of Obito’s lips curling into a smirk against his skin as the latter murmurs, “I miss you, too.”

Kakashi lets out a gasp as Obito starts nipping on his skin. “Obito, stop… Konan’s going to come in anytime…”

At this, the other pulls back to gaze at Kakashi. “Speaking of which, how’s Konan treating you?”

Kakashi purses his lips, considering. “She’s… okay, I guess. She acts a bit… _weird_ , at times. But she’s been helpful regarding the training part.”

“Did you hear that, Konan?” Obito calls suddenly, tilting his head back to gaze at the entrance, where Konan suddenly materializes. Kakashi didn’t even realize she was hiding and probably watching them this whole time. “He says you’re helpful.”

Konan smiles cheerfully. “Well, I’m glad you think so, Kakashi.” Bypassing Kakashi and whatever response the latter is about to say, Konan walks straight to Obito and holds out a briefcase which Kakashi guesses is housing the gun inside. “Here you go, boss.”

“Mnn, thanks.” Obito takes the briefcase from Konan before tugging on Kakashi’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“I want to take you somewhere.” With that, Obito drags Kakashi towards the door. “See you, Konan.”

Kakashi looks back to see Konan giving a bow. When she stands up properly, the look she’s giving Kakashi as their eyes meet is dark and undecipherable.

It irks him. _Konan_ irks him.

Before Kakashi can contemplate further, though, he’s already pulled out the door.

☩

“You’re driving?” Kakashi asks in surprise as he gets in the passenger seat. It’s a sleek red convertible, probably costing a few million grands.

“Mnn-hmn.”

“Is that… safe? I mean, I don’t see Kisame around.”

“It’s fine. This is at the heart of our base. Our guys are stationed all around, don’t worry.”

Kakashi nods, and they settle into silence as Obito drives.

It takes about half an hour before Obito parks the car on top of a slope.

Kakashi walks out to an open field and a lake before them. The sun is still shining high, beaming down and making the surface of the water glitters ethereally.

“Wow… It’s beautiful,” Kakashi gasps, jogging down to the edge of the lake.

“Isn’t it? I thought you’d like it,” Obito says, following him at a slower pace. “You seem to have this affinity with water.”

“I just think there’s something very calming and soothing about it…” Kakashi tells him, crouching down to dip a finger into the water. “Oh, Obito, the water is so warm!” he exclaims excitedly, plunging his entire hand in.

When he looks up, Obito is simply watching him with a fond smile on his face, and Kakashi clears his throat in embarrassment. “I thought you might like this place if I brought you here. I’m glad I was right.”

Kakashi can feel himself flushing as he shakes his hand to fling away the water droplets. “O―Oh. You brought me here just so I can see this?”

Obito nods, bending down to pick up a pebble and skip it across the lake.

Kakashi feels something churning at the pits of his stomach as his body feels warm all over. “That’s―You’re… _weird_ …”

“Am I?”

Kakashi nods, biting his lip. “Aren’t you a mafia boss? You’re supposed to be... scary. And ruthless. And you’re not supposed to be so nice to people.”

Obito tilts his head. “Who says I’m not scary or ruthless? And who says I’m nice to people? I’m really not, trust me. I’m only nice to you.”

Kakashi drops his head, silverly bangs falling over his eyes as he gnaws on his lip. The burning feeling inside his stomach is making its way up his chest, constricting his heart. “Oh…”

“Do you still not believe me?” There’s a finger at Kakashi’s chin, lifting his head up to lock eyes with Obito’s. “I don’t act this way to just anyone, you know. It’s only you.”

“…Why?”

“Because I like making you happy,” Obito replies, his free hand cupping the back of Kakashi’s neck and nudging him forward. “Isn’t it obvious? I really, really like you, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi’s breath hitches as Obito leans in and presses a soft kiss to his lips. The touch is so _gentle_ , so unlike how intense their kisses usually are, that Kakashi finds his eyes sliding shut, a hand tugging on Obito’s blazer to pull him closer.

“What about you?”

Kakashi opens his eyes hazily to Obito’s own, gazing straight at him. He can see himself reflected inside Obito’s irises, but a fuzzy image, due to how close they are.

“Do you like me, too?”

Kakashi is supposed to say yes―it’s his job as an undercover playing the role of Obito’s… lover, or whatever. It’s what he’s _supposed_ to say.

But he isn’t thinking of his job, or what role he’s playing, or anything at all but the almost pitch-black in Obito’s eyes, feeling like they can swallow him up as he answers, “I do. I like you, too.”

He doesn’t notice the smirk on Obito’s lips before the other connects their lips in a heated kiss.

☩

“I’m so fucked,” Kakashi bemoans for the millionth time as he drops his head down on the table.

Yahiko gives him a withering look. “You shouldn’t be telling me this, you know.”

“Huh?”

“Hello? Working for the same company? What if I go to Minato and tell him you’re beginning to develop feelings for the very same man you’re supposed to catch?”

Kakashi pauses, lifting his gaze up to the other. “But you won’t, right?”

Yahiko heaves a sigh. “No, I won’t.”

Kakashi allows a small smile before he groans again. “How do you deal with this?”

“‘This’?”

“You and your target. Don’t you like him?”

“…I do. But I told you, it doesn’t matter.”

“How does it not?” Kakashi exclaims, frustrated.

Yahiko sighs again, rubbing his temple. “This is why I told you, you’re too… green. You’re so innocent. I have absolutely no idea why Minato decided on _you_ for undercover, let alone undercover to catch _Obito_ , of all people.”

“Stop saying I’m innocent. Just because I’m starting to like him doesn’t mean I’ve become stupid. Do you really think someone else who has my job could’ve gotten farther than what I’ve managed to do so far?”

Yahiko pauses, considering. “…You’re right. You’re making history by being the fastest promoted Elite. I don’t think anyone’s ever managed that. And…”

“And what?” Kakashi prods, noticing the other’s hesitance.

“And I’ve been in Akatsuki for two years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Obito last this long with someone before…” the other notes, contemplating. “It’s been the talk of the town. He _does_ seem pretty fond of you for some reason…”

“God knows why,” Kakashi grumbles.

“Well, you’re definitely very good looking!” Yahiko chirps. “And, I don’t know. He must see something special in you.”

“Which is the problem, because he…” _He treats me so well_ , Kakashi wants to say. _He makes me feel like I’m the only person in this world. He makes me feel like no one matters to him but me. I haven’t had someone cared for me so much ever since… the incident…_

“Kakashi, you know this wouldn’t work out, right? I mean, you’re― _you know_. And he’s―”

“It’s not like I’m expecting for us to live happily ever after,” Kakashi tells him. “It just… hurts, sometimes. Like this needle constantly pricking you. It _hurts_.”

Yahiko slumps down his chair, exhaling raggedly. “I know how you feel,” he mutters.

Kakashi spares a glance at Yahiko and nods. The other is probably the only one who understands the turmoil he’s going through right now. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Hmn?”

“Just… It would’ve been so much harder without you. You’re the only person I can really talk to… Thank you…”

Yahiko grins at this, reaching up to ruffle at Kakashi’s hair, making the latter scowl and swat his hand away. “You’re welcome! Honestly, it’s nice to have someone who understands what I’m going through, too. It’s been pretty… rough… for me.”

Kakashi can only imagine. He’s had Yahiko’s connection to get Obito to trust him that first night, and Yahiko to show him the ropes and share his troubles with. But Yahiko… when he had first started out, he had no one, didn’t he? How arduous it must’ve been―trying to get into Akatsuki by himself.

“Yahiko, you’re really impre―” He pauses as his ears catch something. “Wait, did you hear that?” he whispers.

Yahiko straightens immediately as he focuses. “…I think so. Footsteps.”

They’re in a warehouse at the outskirts of the city. Less men patrol around here, making it easier for them to talk, but that also means they’re more susceptible to attacks from other organizations.

“Are they stupid? This is still within Akatsuki territory,” Yahiko hisses, clearly annoyed as he fishes out the gun from his backpocket. Kakashi grimaces as he does the same thing.

A gun… he’s never had to use it on anything but objects before, but will he… will he have to shoot humans with it?

Will he have to _kill_?

Before Kakashi can debate further, there’s a sound of glass breaking as one of the windows shatter before something was thrown in. Immediately, their visions get hazy as smoke spreads everywhere.

“Shit, a smoke bomb!” Yahiko pushes Kakashi to crouch down behind a couch as he looks towards the door, eerily still. “Thankfully it doesn’t seem to induce drowsy effect, but this is going to affect our accuracy.”

Kakashi exhales steadily as he tries to focus on the broken window, seeing a shadow behind it. Steeling himself, he lifts his gun and aims.

There’s a scream from outside as his bullet hits the target, and Yahiko flashes him a thumb up. “Hey, not bad. Guess you weren’t the super rookie of the academy this year for nothing, huh?”

Kakashi manages a brief smile before he hears more cursing. The door is kicked open then, about five men piling in before his eardrums split due to all the bullets being shot towards them endlessly.

“Machine guns, fuck. There are too many―they’ve come prepared,” Yahiko mutters. He sneaks out from the couch to shoot at the intruders, and Kakashi is about to do the same when the other pulls him down roughly, screaming, “Shit, get down!”

Suddenly, there’s a loud shot ringing through the air, heard clearly even through all the noises the machine guns are making. Kakashi looks ahead to see a man cocking a rifle at them, smirking.

“Damn it…” A groan beside him brought Kakashi’s attention back, and he feels himself freezing in horror at the blood flowing endlessly from Yahiko’s body, staining his shirt a deep crimson.

“ _Oh my god…_ ” Kakashi whispers, immediately tearing a part of his shirt off to press it against the open wound on the other’s chest. “Oh god, no… please, Yahiko, you _can’t―_ ”

Yahiko blinks blearily at Kakashi before weakly pushing at his shoulder. “Run.”

Kakashi shakes his head frantically, his hands drenched in blood as he tries to get the bleeding to stop. “Shit, we need to get you help―Hold on, let me go take care of those guys, and then we’ll―”

He doesn’t get to say anything more, for there’s a _clank!_ as something is thrown behind the couch, landing in front of them.

It’s a bomb.

Before Kakashi can haul Yahiko away, three ticking sounds can be heard before everything explodes.

Kakashi gets flung at the wall due to the impact and drops down limply. All he can make out is the scent of smoke, fire, and the stench of _blood_ everywhere.

The last thing he sees is Yahiko a few meters away from him, bleeding out on the floor.

Then Kakashi’s world fades to black.

☩

“What should we do with him?”

Kakashi blinks hazily to the voices chattering above him.

“Don’t know. The boss only wanted the bitch, not this one.”

He keeps his body still, pretending to still be asleep as they continue talking. He needs to know what’s happened, first.

“Then we can just kill him, right? We have no use for him.”

There is hesitation in the other guy’s voice. “But… do you not know who that is? That’s Yahiko.”

Kakashi freezes upon hearing the name. Fuck, they are planning to kill Yahiko?

“I do. He’s one of the Elites, right? But so what. Maybe we’ll even do an extra favor for the boss if we managed to kill an Elite.”

“Maybe, but… have you not heard the rumors? They say he’s with, _you know_. I wouldn’t want to cross _him_.”

“Oh shit, you’re right. Damn, so we can’t do anything to him because his fucking _boyfriend_ might come for us? This sucks.”

“You guys are a bunch of pussies,” a third voice speaks up. “Who cares? Did you forget what group we’re in? I, for one, am not afraid. Who knows, maybe the boss will give me an extra promotion for managing to kill one of the Elites.”

Kakashi snaps his eyes open at the clicking sound of a gun. “No, stop, don’t kill him!” he shouts, voice scratchy as he tries to get up, but it just hurts all over.

Immediately, the other three turn towards him. Kakashi doesn’t recognize any of them.

“Look what we have here, our target is awake,” one of them coos.

Kakashi frowns. Shit, this means they were after him all along, and Yahiko was just unfortunately dragged in because he happened to be with Kakashi at the time.

 _It’s all my fault…_ Kakashi thinks, looking searchingly at Yahiko on the ground, body limp and shirt still drenched red.

Licking his lips, he debates on what to do. “Look, you want me, right? Then just let Yahiko go. He’s not the one you’re after.”

“No,” someone says. “But this is an unexpected bonus. We captured two Elites. Like hell we’re gonna let one of them go.”

“You’re stupid,” Kakashi says, scoffing. “You want to further worsen your fate by killing two Elites instead of one? Are you that desperate for Obito to shove you into the Metal?”

All three of them visibly stiffen at the mention of Akatsuki’s notorious prison. “W―Well, like Uchiha Obito can do anything to us now. We have his precious little _toy_ in our hands, after all.”

“And who says we’re planning to kill you, sweetheart? That’d kinda defeat the point of capturing you alive.”

 _I knew it_ , Kakashi thinks. They most likely kidnapped him because he is Obito’s lover, and they probably want to use him as a bargaining chip of some sorts.

Still, that’s not the most pressing issue right now.

“Look, you can do whatever, but just…” Kakashi glances worriedly at Yahiko’s body once more. “Can you at least give me some bandages to wrap Yahiko up and some painkillers? You guys must have that, right? He’s going to bleed to death soon if you just leave him like that. As you’ve said, you wouldn’t want to cross his lover, right?” _Not that I have any idea who that is_ , Kakashi supplies in his head.

“Are you kidding? We want him dead!”

“Are you sure? Yahiko’s been in the Elites for two years, right? There might be stuff he knows that you guys can get out. Wouldn’t your boss like it much better if you can provide some confidential information to him about us?”

Yahiko might be tortured for information later, but at least he’ll still be _alive_ until then. Kakashi’ll plan on how they can escape by then.

There’s silence from the other three, until one of them speaks. From the voice, Kakashi recognizes it to be the one who wanted to kill Yahiko earlier. “Wow, you are a smart little thing, bargaining with us,” he says in mocking awe. “No wonder Uchiha Obito seems to like you so much… But you’re right, he’ll probably be more useful to us alive… for now. I’ll give you some medical supplies.”

The other two seem hesitant, but ultimately agrees with him, and one of them throws him a first aid kit before heading for the door.

“Don’t get any funny ideas. One wrong move and we’ll shoot both of you dead. We’ll be watching you in our room.”

Kakashi glances around the room once they all left. The room is made up entirely of shiny concrete, no windows nor any exit aside from the lone door, no doubt locked. There’s a camera up at the ceiling, probably monitoring his every move.

But he can worry about that later. For now…

He grabs the first aid kid before crawling to where Yahiko is. His own body is bruised and there are scratches, some flecked with dry blood on them, but this is nothing compared to the other man.

“Yahiko…” he calls out, tapping gently on the other’s shoulder. The good thing is he’s still breathing, but Kakashi doesn’t know for how long. “Yahiko. _Yahiko!_ ”

Finally, there’s a groan from the other as he hazily opens his eyes. “Wh―Kakashi?” he rasps.

“Oh thank god you’re still conscious,” Kakashi breathes in relief. "Listen, I need you to take some painkillers. Because I need to… I need to get the bullet out of you. This is going to hurt like hell, but you can’t die on me, okay?”

Yahiko groans again as Kakashi moves him to lie on his back. He swallows a couple pills Kakashi puts in his mouth, dry, before breathing raggedly. “Fucking hell, I can’t believe we got captured.”

“Yeah, it’s―it’s my fault, I’m so sorry. They wanted to capture me, and you just happened to be with me then.”

Yahiko lifts his eyes up to look at Kakashi, and smiles weakly. “You silly kid. We’re in a mafia. You think I haven’t encountered this situation before? Even if I hadn’t gotten captured today because of you, I’d still be in danger some other day for some other reason. It’s how our lives are.”

Kakashi sniffs, trying to hold back the tears as he looks at the source of Yahiko’s wound on his stomach. God, there is just _so much blood_ everywhere, the stench is making him nauseous. Searching through the box, Kakashi thankfully finds a scalpel inside.

“This is going to hurt a lot, I’m sorry. Also, I’ve never done this before, but…”

“Just do it,” Yahiko rasps, closing his eyes. “I’ve gone through worse, trust me.”

Kakashi vaguely wonders in horror what things Yahiko could’ve possibly have gone through that is worse than being shot, bleeding for who knows how long, and then has to have a bullet taken out of his stomach by an unprofessional with nothing but a scalpel, some bandages, and a measly few painkiller pills, not even anesthesia.

Gulping, he opens Yahiko’s shirt and stares at the wound. After trying to feel for where the bullet could be, Kakashi takes a deep breath and stabs the scalpel through, piercing the skin.

There’s a grunt of pain from Yahiko, his body jerking at the contact, but otherwise he doesn’t do much. Kakashi silently marvels at the other’s endurance of pain before twisting the scalpel, trying to feel for where the bullet is.

It’s one of the longest few seconds of his life, but finally, _finally_ , he can feel the scalpel hitting something rock hard, and carefully takes it out. Blood is spurting _everywhere_ ―on Yahiko’s stomach, his shirt. Kakashi’s hands are completely soaked in them, and even his shirt got splashed crimson, too.

But the bullet is finally out, and Kakashi hastily wraps bandages around the other’s torso, tightening it to stop the blood flow.

Yahiko blinks blearily once he’s done, fading in and out of conscious. “Oh god, Yahiko, don’t fall asleep. _Please_ don’t die on me,” he pleads.

“I need… I need to tell you, in case something does end up happening to me…” Yahiko says, voice hoarse. “It’s about… the information I’ve found…”

“That’s not what’s important right now!” Kakashi almost screams. “You need… Oh god, should I give you more painkillers? Or is that too much―”

“Kakashi!” Yahiko shouts, clasping a hand on Kakashi’s own, stilling him. Instantly, he starts coughing out blood, and Kakashi only watches in horror.

“Yahiko, what should I do? I don’t know what to do…” Kakashi asks, tears streaming down his face as he panics.

“Just… listen,” Yahiko tells him, voice hoarse. “The boss’ right-hand man… The second in command.”

“What?”

“Did Minato tell you who it is? Obito’s closest… most trusted subordinate.”

“No…” Kakashi wasn’t even aware Obito had a right-hand man. It wasn’t in the information he was given.

“I… don’t know who it is, either… He wasn’t… here when I joined.”

“Oh…”

“Also, the previous boss’ right-hand man… That was fishy, too. Everything is fishy about Akatsuki’s history. You need to… look into it… if I’m gone…”

“Please don’t say that,” Kakashi begs, sniffling. “I will ask for some help, okay? They _have_ to help you, I’ll threaten them with myself. They want me alive, they won’t―”

“You’re far too good for this world we live in, Kakashi…” Yahiko smiles wryly at him. “Also, this…”

Kakashi watches as Yahiko brings a shaking hand up to his own neck and rips out a necklace he has been wearing. There’s a metal emblem hanging from the chains, with an engraving Kakashi is far too distressed to make out at the moment.

“This… this was… his… give it back to him for me, please…”

“Yahiko?” Kakashi stares in dread as the other trails off, eyes drifting shut. “Oh my god, no, _no_ please don’t die, you can’t, _you can’t―_ ”

The door suddenly bangs open then, Kakashi snapping his head up at the sound.

“It certainly was a touching movie we were watching,” one of the guys drawls, strutting into the room. “Never knew Akatsuki could be so sentimental. No wonder you guys got captured so easily.”

“Shut up!” Kakashi screams. “Yahiko’s fallen unconscious, help him, _please_!”

The other just glances at the scalpel being gripped tightly in Kakashi’s hand, then says, “Alright. Put down that scalpel and come with us. We’ll have someone tend to him.”

“And why should I believe you?!”

“Because you have no choice. Besides, you were right. He shouldn’t die yet because there’s information we can get out of him. Now come on, our boss wants to meet you.”

Taking one last anguished look at Yahiko, Kakashi grasps the emblem he was given and puts it on his own chain, sliding next to the crystal dolphin Obito had given him.

_Obito…_

Sucking in a breath, he lays the scalpel on the ground before getting up and following the others out the door.

☩

Kakashi’s led into a larger room, with even more guys stationed all around. There’s a sudden push at his shoulder before he’s sprawled on the ground, and before he has time to realize it, his hands are yanked apart and then handcuffed to the metal poles behind him, spreading them open and hanging loosely off the wall.

“What’s this for?” he grumbles, jerking at the chains to no avail. They didn’t bother to tie him up before, so why now?

“Just making sure you’ll behave for a certain… _game_ of ours, Hatake Kakashi.”

Kakashi lifts his head up at the voice, to a large monitor on the opposite wall. There, is an image of someone sitting on a chair leisurely, hands folded on the table and head slightly tilted. The man has short spiky black hair and dark brown eyes. Kakashi can’t really tell how old he is since the latter is wearing a mask covering the bottom half of his face.

“You seem confused… Please excuse my manners and let me introduce myself. Have you heard of Kiri no Nanaken, Kakashi?”

 _Kiri no Nanaken…_ Kakashi’s mind immediately scans for information. If he remembers correctly, it’s another mafia group in rivalry with Akatsuki. And if his memory is still in tact, then the current boss of that group is…

“ _Zabuza…_ ” Kakashi murmurs. “At least, that’s what they call you.”

Zabuza chuckles. “You really are smart like my underlings have said. But yes, I am Zabuza. It’s nice to meet you, Kakashi.”

“What do you want?”

“Cutting right to the chase, are we?” At the glare he’s given, Zabuza chuckles again before linking his hands together, locking eyes with Kakashi through the monitor. “Like I’ve said, I have a little game I’d like for us to play.”

“…What game?” 

“Hatake Kakashi, twenty two years old, college dropout, both parents dead,” Zabuza lists. “Met Uchiha Obito approximately one and a half months ago. Rose up to being an Elite just three weeks later. Currently Uchiha Obito’s bi―ah, excuse my words―Uchiha Obito’s _lover_ , is it?”

“What do you want?” Kakashi repeats, eyes narrowing.

“Our game is very simple, Kakashi. I’ll ask a question, and you answer.”

“…And if I don’t?” 

“For every question you refuse to answer, says no, or lie, and trust me, I’ll know when you lie, I’ll take a piece of your clothing off―Well, my boys will, since obviously I can’t do it through a screen. My powers aren’t that great.”

The man is chuckling to himself, but all Kakashi can focus on is a certain part he had said. “ _What?_ ”

Zabuza glances idly at him. “That gives you, what, three questions to pass before you’re completely naked? Five, if we count your shoes and socks. I feel like being nice today, so I’ll give you them, hmn?”

“I’m not going to play your sick game,” Kakashi snarls.

Zabuza gazes at him calmly. “Hatake Kakashi, you don’t want to play my game?”

“No!”

“Alright, you heard him. Take off his shoes, boys.”

Kakashi gasps as two guys come up to either side of him and wrench his shoes off. “What are you doing?”

“Did you not hear the rules? You said no. So, one piece of clothing, off.”

“You fucker―”

“I actually am,” Zabuza cuts in easily. “Would you like me to fuck you?”

“No―” Kakashi shouts before his mind catches up to him, wincing at his mistake. His socks come off next before he has a chance to retaliate. “You… You’re having fun with this, aren’t you? Those weren’t even real questions!”

“That’s the point of a game, isn’t it? To have fun?”

Kakashi is about to deny again when his mouth clamps shut. He can’t _not_ answer either. Reluctantly, he settles for, “…Yes.”

“Ahh, you’re catching on, that’s fantastic!” Zabuza smiles, pleased. “Alright, let’s _really_ get started. How did you get Uchiha Obito to be so taken with you?”

“That’s what you want to know?”

Zabuza shrugs. “I’m curious. Many men and women had tried to capture his attention before, but never succeeded. The most he was willing to keep someone around was one, two weeks at best. Yet you… I’ve heard information he hasn’t been to any clubs and fucking anyone else ever since he saw you.”

Unwittingly, Kakashi feels his chest warms at the words. So Obito… not only has treated him really well, but is also _faithful_ to him? He had assumed the other man would be fucking other people on the side. After all, he’s the boss and has so many options to choose from.

“ _I told you, didn’t I? I want you,_ ” Obito’s words echo inside his ears.

“Time is ticking, Kakashi.” Zabuza says, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I… I don’t know. It’s not like I did anything special,” Kakashi answers honestly.

“Not a good enough answer.”

Kakashi groans in frustration. “What do you want me to say? That I let him fuck me? Yeah, I did. And then what? I don’t know. He seems fond of me for some reason. Like hell if I ever know what’s going on in that mind of his.”

Zabuza hums for a moment before shrugging. “Alright. Next question. Did you really drop out of college?”

Kakashi stills. What… what’s with that question? What is he trying to… “Yes. Isn’t that what you've said, yourself?”

A satisfied hum leaves the other man's lips before he says, “Lie. Take off his shirt.”

Kakashi widens his eyes as two guys come up to him. His legs are kicking, trying to hit them in the face but more guys come and manhandle him, physically holding down his legs. “No, stop―” he yells as hands creep up his body, hooking inside his shirt collar before ripping it open, all the buttons flying off and scattering across the dirty floor of the room.

Zabuza lets out a whistle as he appraises Kakashi, whose shirt is ripped into pieces, fluttering down the floor, with the sleeves hanging limply off his wrists due to the handcuffs. “Damn, you’re so hot, look at you,” Zabuza murmurs as Kakashi wheezes, chest heaving and glaring up at him. “I guess that’s why Obito seems to like you so much. You must be a great fuck.”

“You bastard,” Kakashi growls, shivering slightly due to the cold and how utterly _humiliated_ he feels right now, half-naked with a dozen or so men in the room, all looking at him with a glint in their eyes.

“Thank you,” Zabuza replies nonchalantly. “Next question.”

“Your fucking game is sick!” Kakashi screams, trying to move his legs that are still being held down by two men. “All of you are sick! Yahiko is probably still unconscious and half-dead right now, and you―you―”

“Hey now, don’t freak out on me.” Zabuza lets out a sigh before continuing, “Alright, since you’ve given me such a great view, I’ll ask you a question that you’ll absolutely _love_ and thank me for, okay?”

“Fuck you!”

“Mnn, yes, maybe I will… I’d like to experience what is so great about you, myself.”

Kakashi’s hands are clenched into fists against the handcuffs, blood dripping from his wrists due to how hard he struggled earlier. _You are not going to be scared. You are not…_ Kakashi chants silently to himself.

“Next question,” Zabuza repeats. “Are you aware that Obito had already known about you before you met him at Tsuki no Me?”

“ _What?_ ” Kakashi breathes in shock.

“I told you you’d love this question, didn’t I?” Zabuza asks, chuckling. “Now answer me.”

“What―I don’t―”

“I’m not taking ‘I don’t know’ for an answer, remember? Now tell me, yes or no.”

“No. _No!_ What the hell is going on―”

There’s a snap of the fingers before Zabuza whistles sinisterly. “No is truth. Yes is lie. Either way, though… You heard him, boys. Take off his pants.”

There are fingers pulling at his zipper, trying to slip his pants down, and it’s―

Disgusting. _Disgusting disgusting disgusting―_

“Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me―”

_“―Don’t touch me. Stop it! Don’t touch me―”_

_“But we have to check the goods, yeah? Don’t blame us, blame him. And blame yourself for being an unfortunate victim of his stupidity.”_

_“No, stop! I’ll kill you. I’ll kill all of you. Don’t touch me―”_

Kakashi blinks, the world shifting itself into reality again as tears trail down the corners of his eyes. _This… has happened before_ , he thinks faintly. _And then… And then…_

“Your skin is so white,” Zabuza murmurs, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Underneath those ragged, bloody clothes, lies such smooth, untainted skin. I’m surprised Obito hasn’t made any… permanent marks on you.”

Kakashi sucks in a breath, refusing to cry further as he glares up at the monitor. His pants are down to his ankles now, effectively serving as another restraint. Blood continues to drip down from his wrists to the floor as he trembles. “What do you want to do to me? Are you going to tell all your lackeys here to rape me? Will you be watching it, you sadistic, psychopathic fuck?”

“How can you still talk? With such rebellious words?” Zabuza marvels. “How are you not bent on the floor, begging me to stop? How are you so strong-willed?”

“I will never beg for you,” Kakashi hisses, and only grows more frustrated at the delighted look on the other’s eyes.

“I think I’m starting to see what it is about you that Obito likes so much,” Zabuza mutters. “Although I do suppose you have been like this all along…”

What…? Kakashi blinks at the other’s words. ‘ _All along_ ’? What did he mean by that?

Before Kakashi can contemplate further, though, there’s a loud banging of the door before gunshots are blasted everywhere, making his ears ring. In the blink of an eye, it’s an absolute _bloodbath_ as all the men around Kakashi crumble to the ground, each with a bullet lodged inside their skulls, precisely right between their eyebrows.

Dead. They’re all dead. And standing by the entrance, as the smoke from all the gunpowder clears, is Nagato, his eyes cold and piercing like the fiery depths of hell.

Kakashi involuntary shudders. He's always known Nagato is Akatsuki’s number one killer, but to actually _see_ it in front of his eyes―how he had absolutely just _slaughtered_ over a dozen of men before a clock could go _tick_ , is so, _so_ frightening.

“Plea―Please…” a small voice whimpers, and Kakashi snaps his head to the far corner of the room, where there is surprisingly still one man remaining, crouching down and shaking uncontrollably, hands covering his face. “Please don’t kill me, please…”

Nagato doesn’t even spare a glance at Kakashi as he calmly walks over to that man and firmly plants a knife right through his hand, slashing his cheek in the process. Then, he twists the knife, still embedded in the middle of the other’s hand, and nails it to the wall.

The hollowing scream he hears is so loud, Kakashi almost misses a voice murmuring close to his ear. “Don’t watch. It’s going to get pretty grotesque.”

Kakashi snaps his head back so fast he almost gets whiplash, for there is― “O―Obito…”

Obito only gives a small, pained smile at him. “I’m sorry, Kakashi. I’m here now. It’s going to be alright.”

Kakashi sniffs, unable to hold back his tears any longer as he starts sobbing quietly while Obito is unlocking his handcuffs. After he’s done, Obito lifts Kakashi up, leaning the latter onto his chest as he pulls Kakashi’s pants up and zips it properly for him.

Kakashi is still shaking.

In the distance, Kakashi can hear cries from that one man as Nagato continues to torture him. He takes a look and sees how both of the man's hands are pinned to the wall by knives now, like a jilted butterfly. There’s a gun shoved inside his mouth as Nagato holds it threateningly, growling, “I’m going to ask you one last time before I shoot a bullet from the back of your mouth straight up to your _brain_ and blow it into mushy bits. Do you think I can’t do it? Hmn? Do you want to test my skills?”

The other man can only pathetically shake his head frantically since the gun in his mouth renders him unable to speak.

“One _fucking_ last time. Where. The. Fuck. Is. Yahiko?”

Kakashi waits with bated breath, since he wants to know, too. The other man still refuses to say anything, though, and only glances up to the monitor.

Kakashi had almost forgotten Zabuza is still there, watching them.

“I have to say, you’ve really outdone yourself,” Obito says nonchalantly as he looks up to the monitor, too. “I really didn’t think you had it in you.”

Zabuza only chuckles. “Why, thank you for the compliment.”

“Shut up!” Nagato roars suddenly, glaring at the screen. “If you don’t tell me where you keep Yahiko I swear to god I’ll go to your base and kill you myself, just watch me.”

Zabuza shifts his eyes to Nagato. It’s obvious he’s trying to look calm, but one can see the small bopping of his adam’s apple as he gulps.

“I suggest you do as he says. You know fully well your hundred or so men guarding your building right now won’t be any match for him, right?” Obito chimes in.

Zabuza gives a resigned sigh. “Alright, you can lead him to the place,” he says, giving a bored look to his subordinate. Immediately, Nagato plucks the knives off the wall before roughly pushing the man ahead to lead him, the latter limping as he walks, blood dripping all over.

“This isn’t over,” Nagato growls as he takes one last look at the monitor. “If anything happens to Yahiko, I’ll eradicate your entire organization myself.”

“Oh? You think you can go against my Haku?” Zabuza asks with a sneer.

“Why don’t you wait and see?” With that, Nagato walks out of the room, Kakashi breathing a sigh of relief because Yahiko should be okay now. Hopefully.

“While this is quite a meticulous plan,” Obito speaks up, “I see you’re still a coward as ever, though.”

Zabuza stiffens, looking back at him. “What?”

“You’re hiding behind a monitor. Why, because you knew we’d find you eventually? You knew you’d get killed? Is that why you hid behind a monitor while letting your men do the work and sacrificing them, instead?”

“I’d like to call it… being smart.”

“Oh really,” Obito says, not a question. “Smart, right.” He looks down for a moment, before lifting his head.

The icy, emotionless swirlings inside Obito’s eyes surprise Kakashi, making his breath hitch as he sees how downright _menacing_ Obito looks right now.

"If you were really smart, you wouldn’t have done what you did,” Obito murmurs, voice soft but cuts through the air like glass. “If you were really smart, you wouldn’t have touched what’s mine. If you were _really_ smart, you wouldn’t have dared to go after _Kakashi_.”

Zabuza keeps quiet.

“You messed up. I could’ve let you live a little longer. I could’ve let that pathetic group of yours encroach on our territories, thinking you can take us over, but… not anymore. You touched the _one thing_ you shouldn’t have touched.”

Obito and Zabuza lock eyes for a long moment before the latter breaks the silence. “And why is _that_ the one thing I shouldn’t have touched?” Zabuza asks, gesturing to Kakashi. “Because he is special? Because he is the one you both saved and ruined at the same time?”

Kakashi narrows his eyes, looking from Zabuza to Obito. Obito’s face is… still emotionless. He can’t read anything from his expression, but from Zabuza’s words… What does it mean, ‘ _both saved and ruined at the same time_ ’?

_“Are you aware that Obito had already known about you before you met him at Tsuki no Me?”_

Was Zabuza telling the truth? If he was, this means that Obito had known about him… from where? Does it have something to do with his missing memories?

“I hope you sleep with one eye open,” Obito says, “because pretty soon, that’s _all_ you’ll be doing. Sleeping. _Forever_.”

Before the other can form a reply, Obito raises a hand and shoots at the monitor, breaking it.

“Obito…”

When Obito turns to him, his expression is gentle with a soft smile on his face, and it startles Kakashi―how Obito can go from one face to the next in the blink of an eye. “Hmn? What is it?”

Kakashi hesitates.

“You okay? Your wrists are still bleeding.”

Kakashi shakes his head, shivering as Obito inspects one of his arm and strokes the wrist tenderly, like a caress. “It’s just a scratch, no big deal.”

The other hums before pulling him into an embrace. “I’m sorry I got here so late. Were you scared?”

Kakashi nods. He actually was. He still has no idea what Zabuza had planned to do with him had Nagato and Obito not barged in.

He also has no idea what happened in that flashback… What happened, the moment _after_ his flashback ended…

“Obito…”

The other pulls back, a smile still on his face. “Hmn?”

 _You’re bipolar. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you’re thinking. I don’t know…_ _I don’t know if this is real, your affections towards me._ _It’s probably not, right?_ Kakashi wonders in his head.

Instead, he says, “Nothing. I’m glad you saved me.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll _always_ be there to save you, Kakashi,” Obito whispers before leaning in and connecting their lips in a sensuous kiss.

Kakashi lets him.

Obito is fucked up. He is _so_ fucked up.

But Kakashi is starting to think that he might be just as fucked up as Obito is, too.

☩

_Nagato is fiddling with his phone, lounging on the bed, when an envelope is thrust to his face suddenly. “What’s this?”_

_Yahiko is standing in front of him, gesturing for him to take the offered object. “If anything happens to me, I want you to give this to Kakashi.”_

_They don’t talk about the “if anything happens to me” part. They’ve been in the mafia business for far too long to still have delusions that they might still be alive the next day. The next week. Month. Year._

_Instead, he raises an eyebrow, storing the envelope in a drawer, and says, “You’ve been hanging out with the new kid a lot lately.”_

_At this, Yahiko grins mischievously. “Have I? Are you jealous?”_

_“I would be, if I didn’t already know that you are a hundred percent, utterly and unequivocally head over heels for me.”_

_Yahiko gives him an unimpressed look. “Wow, can you get any more arrogant?”_

_Nagato chuckles, tugging Yahiko onto the bed and stumbling into his arms. “I’m only arrogant because I know you love me.”_

_Yahiko hums, smiling lightly, but doesn’t say anything back as Nagato pulls him into a kiss._

_I do love you_ _, Yahiko thinks, closing his eyes and kissing back._ _That’s the problem._

☩

Kakashi wakes up to faint noises of the clock ticking. Groaning, he opens his eyes to the sun shining through the window.

“You’re awake?”

Kakashi lifts himself up by his arms and immediately winces. There are bandages wrapped around his wrists, but it still hurts, and his body is sore as hell. “What happened? Did I…”

“You pretty much fainted soon after,” Obito says, looking away from the laptop perched on his lap. “Maybe you should get some more rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Mnn…” Kakashi mumbles. Obito has a hand over his forehead, stroking his bangs gently. It’s so soothing, Kakashi is about to shut his eyes again, when― “Wait… What happened to Yahiko?”

At this, the other stills. “He’s…”

Kakashi feels something churning at the pits of his stomach. “Oh, please, don’t tell me he’s d―d―” he stutters.

“No, he’s at the hospital,” Obito says, sighing. “It’s just… he’s in a coma right now.”

Kakashi feels as if a knife has just stabbed through his stomach. “ _What?_ ”

“By the time we found him, he’d lost a lot of blood, Kakashi. There weren’t enough blood flowing to his brain. So…”

“Oh god,” Kakashi chokes, burying his face into his hands. “It’s all my fault, it’s all―”

“Kakashi―”

“I―I need to go see him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re barely healthy yourself. You _did_ just survive a bomb.”

“I don’t care! I need to―I need to go see him, Obito, please!” Kakashi pleads, hands clinging to the other’s arm desperately.

Obito holds his eyes for a moment before sighing again. “Alright. I’m busy right now, so I’ll tell Kisame to take you. Just… try and stay calm, okay? It wouldn’t do much help if you collapsed, too.”

Kakashi nods, but all he can think about is Yahiko right now.

☩

The car ride to the hospital feels like it’s one of the longest moments of his life. Kisame keeps glancing warily through the front rear mirror at him, since Kakashi can’t stop crying, tears silently trailing down his cheeks, but Kakashi can’t find it in himself to care.

He’s just about to run into the room once Kisame leads him through the corridor, when there’s a hand at his wrist.

“Wait… Nagato might still be in there…”

“Oh…” Kakashi blinks, biting his lip. “I… I want to see Yahiko, though.”

The other shrugs and strides to a bench, sitting down. Kakashi looks at him a moment longer before walking through the door.

Kisame was right, Nagato is there, hunched over a chair nearby as he stares vacantly at Yahiko on the bed. There’s a respirator over Yahiko’s face, and the heart monitor is beeping slowly, but steadily, by the side.

Sucking in a breath, Kakashi walks towards them. Nagato still makes no move to acknowledge him whatsoever. Glancing at the man on the bed once more with teary eyes, Kakashi finally says, “Are you… are you the one Yahiko’s with? His… lover?” _And target_ , he adds silently.

Nagato just stares blankly at him. This is so different from the confident and playful man Kakashi’s met during his training session with Konan, and light-years away from the cold-blooded killer Kakashi witnessed yesterday. Truthfully, Kakashi is still a little scared of the man before him. “Yeah. What of it?”

This makes sense. Yahiko did mention before that even though his target isn’t the very boss of Akatsuki, it’s still someone high-ranking enough, _powerful_ enough for the police higher-ups to be wary of and assign him to.

The title of the number one killer in the biggest crime organization in the city isn’t a joke. Kakashi’s seen it first-hand.

With shaky breaths, Kakashi tugs on the chain around his neck and takes out the emblem. “Yahiko told me to give you this…”

Nagato’s eyes widen as he takes the emblem. “I thought it was strange I didn’t see it on him…” he whispers, gazing longingly at the object. “Thanks.”

At this, Kakashi can’t hold it in anymore―his tears start flowing again. “Why are you thanking me when this is all my fault? Kiri no Nanaken wanted to capture me… Yahiko was just unfortunately dragged along.”

Nagato just stares at Kakashi distantly before glancing at Yahiko. “This isn’t the first time.”

“Huh?”

“The title of the notorious killer in Akatsuki―the mass murderer who can wipe out tens of people at once without batting an eyelash―doesn’t come without a cost,” Nagato intones. “Obviously they can’t get to _me_ ―they're not capable enough―so what better way is it than to get at the person closest to me? Yahiko’s been kidnapped and tortured countless times before to use as bait or blackmail because of me.”

“ _We’re in a mafia. You think I haven’t encountered this situation before?_ ” Yahiko had told him. “ _I’ve gone through worse, trust me._ ” Is this what he had meant?

“So… It’d be pretty hypocritical of me to blame you, huh?” Nagato says, giving him a wry smile. “Besides, Yahiko seems pretty fond of you. You’re like the little brother he never had.”

Kakashi hiccups, gazing at Yahiko, pained. Truthfully, Yahiko is something like family to him, too―the big brother he never had, whom he can always confide in and tell his troubles to.

“Stop crying, god. Yahiko’s going to be mad at me for letting you cry like this,” Nagato huffs, trying to instill in some playfulness to brighten the atmosphere. “He’s strong. He’ll get through this.” He pauses before murmuring, “He _has_ to. He can’t leave me.”

 _This is messed up_ , Kakashi thinks, somewhat hysterically. A heartless killer who probably has caused hundreds, _thousands_ of deaths by his hands, seems to actually be in love with a cop.

If this doesn’t sound ridiculously similar to his own situation, he doesn’t know what does.

“You should go home and rest. You’re still recovering,” Nagato says. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here to take care of him. I’ll notify you when he wakes up.”

Giving one last searching glance at Yahiko, Kakashi nods.

His hand is at the doorknob, about to leave, when Nagato calls out. “Kakashi.”

“Huh?”

“We live in a mafia world. It’s harsh.”

Kakashi gazes at him, waiting.

“There is no telling of tomorrow. Lives are taken away in the blink of an eye, as easy as plucking an apple from a tree. You never know when you’re going to die. And most importantly… you never know when the people who matter to you most are going to die.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying,” Nagato turns his head, giving him a solemn look, “to treasure the moment of ‘now’, because you never know if you, or the person you love, might be gone tomorrow. Yahiko and I have always lived by that motto, and I’m just giving you that advice.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have anyone―”

“You don’t?” Nagato asks, and there it is again―the chilling look Kakashi’s seen yesterday, Nagato’s eyes unreadable. “You mean to tell me there isn’t anyone flashing in your mind when I told you to treasure what you have while it’s still there?”

There is. Kakashi gnaws on the inside of his cheek, trying to calm his racing heart.

“All I’m saying is, live in the moment, kid. So you won’t have any regrets in the future.”

With that, Nagato turns his head back towards Yahiko once more, and Kakashi silently walks out.

☩

Kakashi can’t stop thinking about it on the ride home―Nagato’s words.

“ _Live in the moment_ ”, the other had said. Because it might be gone tomorrow.

Kakashi’s a cop―he knows this. Obito’s a mafia boss―he knows this, too. One day, Kakashi is going to personally handcuff Obito and hand him over to his superiors.

One day, Kakashi’s going to be the one locking Obito in jail.

One day, Obito will be gone. One day, Kakashi won’t see his gentle smile, won’t feel his burning touches, won’t―

But one day is not today. One day hasn’t come yet. One day is not― _right now_ ―

Kakashi paces across the house once he’s arrived home and finds Obito in his office, looking over some documents on the desk.

“Welcome back,” he says, looking up at Kakashi with a smile. “How was it?”

Kakashi stands by the door restlessly. “It was… I hope Yahiko will wake up soon.”

“I hope so, too.”

There’s something drumming inside his ears, beating louder and louder as Kakashi stares at Obito, who is cocking his head with a confused smile on his face as Kakashi continues to stand there.

“Kakashi?”

“Obito…” Kakashi murmurs, taking quick strides into the room. He jams himself in the space between Obito and the desk, licking his lips before climbing onto the plush chair and straddling the other's lap.

Obito’s hands automatically come up to hold his waist, his fingers skimming at the skin peeking out beneath Kakashi’s shirt. “Hmn? What is it?”

“Obito…” Kakashi says, lifting his arms and linking them around the other’s neck. “Do you…” he starts, gazing into the dark depths that are Obito’s eyes. “Do you… love me?”

Obito simply smiles as his fingers continue to smooth circles on Kakashi’s skin. “I do. I love you, Kakashi.”

 _One day, Obito will be gone_ , Kakashi thinks. One day, this charade will end. One day, Kakashi will be the cause of Obito’s demise.

But today is not that day.

“Then…” Kakashi whispers, leaning in and brushing his lips against Obito’s. “I want you to make love to me. _Now_.”

Obito’s smile only widens, lips curving eerily to resemble a smirk. “With pleasure, my love.”

☩

_I wish Yahiko was here_ , Kakashi thinks, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

It’s dark in the room, the moonlight outside barely filtering through the drawn curtains. Kakashi tilts his head to the right to see Obito asleep next to him.

 _He would know what to do, right? He’d tell me this is okay, right? As long as I know what I must do in the end?_ Kakashi blinks once, slowly, and lifts an arm up, fingers grasping around thin air―stilted, and…

Nothing… 

_…Nothing at all…_

_“Can you hear us? Do you remember anything? Do you remember what your name is?”_

_“I’m…” Kakashi blinks blankly. “My name is Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi.”_

_A relief sigh slips past the man’s lips, who is standing beside his bed. The man is wearing a white lab coat, so white, just like the bed Kakashi’s sitting on, like the wall in front of his eyes, like the clothes he’s wearing when he looks down._

_Everything is white._

_“Do you… do you remember what happened?”_

_“What happened…?” Kakashi blinks again, trying to remember, and suddenly a flash of pain slashes through his brain, making him gasp. “I…”_

_“If it hurts, you don’t have to try and remember,” the other man―doctor?―says quickly._

_“I… I was…” What is the last thing he remember? “I was… going to school… It was my first day in the ninth grade… I remember because dad gave me―” Instinctively, he brings a hand up to clutch at his throat, only to find nothing there._

Where is my necklace? _Kakashi thinks frantically, breathing heavily. “Where is my necklace, I can’t lose it, it’s my dad’s―”_

_“Kakashi, calm down, calm down!” the doctor shouts as Kakashi feels hands―way too many hands―trying to keep him down as his fingers claw at the sheets and a strangled cry comes out of his mouth._

_A sharp pain hits the side of his neck suddenly, and his entire body slides down, eyes bleary as he watches a needle retracting from the hand of a nurse._

_“Breathe, Kakashi. Steady now,” the doctor tells him. “One, two. One, two. Yes, that’s it.”_

_“What…” Kakashi croaks, breath hitching as he feels the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “What happened to me?”_

_The doctor seems to hesitate before speaking, “Something horrific happened to you, Kakashi. It is most likely why you can’t remember anything. Have you heard of PTSD? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There’s a high probability you have developed Psychogenic Amnesia to block out that painful part of your memory unconsciously.”_

_“But what happened?” Kakashi chokes, hiccupping. “What happened? I need to know―”_

_“Please calm down, Kakashi. It was…” The doctor makes a pained face before continuing, “It was pretty grotesque. By the time the police found you, the entire crime scene was covered in blood, and… You were the only one left alive. I’m so sorry, Kakashi.”_

_“_ _The only one left alive_ _,”_ Kakashi mouths, careful not to make a sound as he blinks the flashback away, snapping back to reality. Slowly, he turns his head and looks at the man sleeping beside him once more.

Obito is sleeping on his side, a cheek smushed into the pillow and an arm slung over Kakashi’s stomach, fingers brushing against his waist in a loose embrace.

Kakashi shifts, turning to face Obito, too, and curls into the warm body next to him.

 _I love you too_ , Kakashi thinks, gazing at him, _but I love justice more._


	6. Chapter 6

It’s a day later, as Kakashi is perched on a stool inside Tsuki no Me, having a quiet drink to himself as he contemplates on his next move, that he notices someone sliding into the seat in front of him.

“Nagato…” Kakashi gasps. “Oh my god, don’t tell me, has Yahiko―”

The other quickly shakes his head. “Nah, he’s still―the same, but _stable_ ,” Nagato grunts, before shaking his head. “Anyways, that’s not why―I didn’t have it with me when I saw you yesterday, but…”

Kakashi watches as Nagato slides an envelope across the table to him. “What’s this?”

“It’s Yahiko’s. To you. He told me to give this to you if anything happens to him.”

Kakashi widens his eyes in shock. “What?” Glancing down at the innocent envelope before him, he can feel his eyes sting. “I… Oh, he actually…”

“Don’t cry,” Nagato sighs heavily. “I can see Kisame over there glaring at me already, wondering what on Earth I did to his precious boss’ precious little someone.”

Kakashi chokes out a laugh. “I don’t know why he doesn’t just come here and have a drink with me, instead standing off to the side glaring at my every move.”

“Kisame is just... not a people person,” Nagato remarks, before shrugging. “Anyways, I gotta go now.”

“Okay. Thank you for delivering this to me,” Kakashi says with a grateful smile.

“It’s the least I can do for Yahiko,” Nagato says, shrugging again and walking away after a careless wave to him.

Kakashi shifts his eyes to the side to see Kisame has been watching him with something like a frown on his face before the latter averts his gaze, pretending to be immersed in the singer currently performing on the stage. Frowning in confusion but deciding to never mind it, Kakashi drops his gaze back down to the object on the table and opens it.

There’s a letter inside, inked in messy, curly handwriting. Kakashi’s hands shake as he begins to read.

_Hey Kakashi!_

_If you’re reading this, I’m probably not here anymore, hmn… Hmn… Well, that’s depressing to think about… hahaha!_

_…I’m sorry, I tend to laugh at really inopportune times._

_Anyways, if you’re reading this, this means that Nagato has given this to you, which means that… you finally know who my target is! Hahaha. And also that I’m going to trust that Nagato hasn’t opened this letter and is reading this, too._

_You know, speaking of trust… it’s a mysterious thing, really. Like, I can say with 100% clarity and faith that I would trust Nagato with my life―that he would always be there to watch my back. To cover for me. To save me if I ever get in trouble._

_Isn’t it ironic? He’s been saving the life of someone who’s been trying to expose him to the police countless times. That he’s unknowingly helping me to, well, put him in jail, really. Or even death._

_Death sentence. Because he’s a murderer. Life imprisonment, maybe. But they told me he would likely get a death sentence if he’s ever captured because he’s killed so many people._

_So yeah, ironic, isn’t it? Life is so ironic, sometimes it makes me laugh. Oh! But I’m getting off-topic, I’m sorry! I didn’t write this letter to you to tell you about my fucked-up double life, and least of all not my fucked-up thoughts about Nagato, hahaha. I’m writing this letter to you, because…_

_Well, because obviously something happened to me, and you’re the only one left._

_I’m sorry you’re all alone, now._

_You know, I had an older sister. Older―but she was more like a younger sister, really. Very cute. Very innocent. She was murdered. Wrong place at the wrong time. Accidentally witnessed a drug exchange. Boom. Just like that. Shot to death._

_It was someone from Akatsuki, but I don’t know who. Hey, wouldn’t it be hilarious if it was Nagato? Hahaha. Anyways, I’m getting off-topic again…_

_You remind me a lot of her. I think that’s why I like you so much. You don’t know anything, but you’re still so stubborn. So determined. You let yourself be ruined, be tainted, on purpose, just to complete your mission._

_Just like me._

_So maybe you remind me a lot of myself. I was ready to do anything to take Akatsuki down, even including fraternizing with the notorious, cold-blooded killer of the organization. There isn’t anything more bitter than the need for revenge that you’re willing to do absolutely anything for it._

_You’re the same, right?_

_And now you’re all alone._

_I’m sorry, again._

_But hey! Before I was gone for good, I did manage to uncover something in the database of Nagato’s network system once._

_A name._

_It was the former, original name of someone before he changed it._

_Uchiha Minato._

_Our superior's―Minato’s―former name. Or I don’t know. Maybe his original name was Namikaze Minato and he changed it to Uchiha Minato for some reason. It doesn’t matter. What’s more important is he used to work for Akatsuki. Probably still is._

_We’ve been duped all along._

_Our fucking boss in the police department. Namikaze Minato. Uchiha Minato. Whatever his actual name is._

_Fantastic._

_And I’m sorry you’re going to have to deal with this by yourself now._

_Be strong._

_Even though we might not have known each other for long, always remember that this big brother loves you!_

_…I’m really sorry._

_You have nothing to be sorry for_ , Kakashi protests silently, trying so hard to keep the trembles coursing through his body down lest anyone, especially Kisame, notices, as his eyes scan the letter wildly.

Minato was once an Uchiha. Or he probably still is. Uchiha Minato who has worked for Akatsuki before.

_Fuck._

As if on cue, his phone vibrates suddenly inside his pocket. Taking it out and checking it, he finds a text message waiting for him.

_Kakashi,_

_This is Minato. A lot has happened in the past few days, right? I’ve heard what happened to Yahiko… Can we arrange a time and place? We need to talk and you need to report to me about what’s happened so far._

_Speak of the devil_ , Kakashi thinks with his heartbeats thundering inside his ears. He sucks in a deep breath as he types a reply. _Yes. Let me arrange for us tomorrow. Let’s meet._

It’s time to meet Minato.

And maybe gets some answers in return.

☩

White.

It’s a grand, beautiful building entirely in white with mosaic windows spread throughout the walls.

Kakashi hasn’t been to a church for a long time.

It’s at noon on a Tuesday, and there aren’t yet a lot of people inside. After greeting the priest and making an offering, he heads into one of the confessional booths on the side.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” he begins once he slides inside.

“My young penitent,” the person on the other side says, and pauses. “I’m sure God will forgive you knowing your intent is for the greater good.”

Kakashi closes his eyes. “And the means will justify the end?”

There’s another pregnant pause before the other speaks, “I can only hope so, young Kakashi.”

It is how Kakashi arranged for them to meet without arousing suspicions―Minato disguising as a priest in a church so Kakashi can go and “confess his sins” in a private booth with unlikely chances of anyone overhearing or being suspectful.

“Yahiko is in a coma.”

A sigh. “Yes, so I’ve heard… He’s had some terrible injuries before, but he’s never been comatosed… I heard you guys got captured by Kiri no Nanaken?”

Kakashi nods, unsure if Minato can see him through the grids. “It was my fault―they wanted me. Yahiko just happened to be there with me at the time…”

“No one can predict the future. All we can do is try the best we can to control it.”

At this, Kakashi glances down at his feet. “Control it by manipulating other people to get what you wish?”

“We are the police, Kakashi,” Minato says, firm. “But we are not gods. We are no saints. Especially not in the Criminal Investigation Division.”

Kakashi bites on his lip. _We are no saints_ , he repeats inside his head, _but are you a devil?_

“Well, we don’t have too much time. Do report to me about what’s happened so far. I’ve read the reports, but I’d like to hear in more details from you directly.”

Kakashi does. He tells Minato everything that’s happened, excluding his more intimate moments with Obito, the private things Yahiko’s told him, and also his… _game_ with Zabuza.

He, of course, never mentions what Yahiko’s written in the letter, either.

“I must say,” Minato says after he’s done reporting, “I’m really impressed you have become an Elite so quickly. Very good job on that.”

“Thanks,” Kakashi says, before licking his lips. “Did you… did you expect this?”

“Hmn?”

“I mean, what did you see in me? I was, after all, a fresh recruit just out of training, and yet you placed me under such an important mission to take down such a well-known, dangerous individual. Even Yahiko was surprised you assigned me.”

There’s humming on the other side before Minato answers, “I suppose your records in the police academy really impressed me. Especially how little time it took you to achieve everything―I could tell you were really determined.”

 _I was_ , Kakashi thinks. “You’ve… You’ve looked at my background, right?”

A light laugh. “Kakashi, I am your superior. It’s my job to look through the profiles of all my subordinates.”

“Then, I mean… didn’t you think I could’ve been too unstable for this job? You knew what had happened to me, right?” _You knew more than what’s written on the papers_ , is what Kakashi wants to say.

“If you really are unstable, you certainly didn’t show it during your remaining school years.”

“I had to repeat a year due to the incident. I couldn’t take the final exams because I’d forgotten nearly everything that had happened that year, including what I had learned at school.”

“And yet you still managed to become the youngest graduate from the academy this year.” There’s a shift from Minato, and Kakashi can hazily see the other’s face turning towards him when he asks, “Are you unstable, now?”

“No,” Kakashi replies, resolute. “I was just wondering… most people wouldn’t have taken a chance in me. But you did.”

“Well, I guess I just happened to have keen eyes, didn’t I?” Minato chuckles. “After all, you’ve managed to achieve so much. You have Obito under your control, now.”

Kakashi wants to laugh at that, because―as if. _As if_. Obito might have seemed to treat him ridiculously well, but that isn’t all there is to the other man.

It _can’t_ be.

“Anyways, continue to gain Obito’s trust. Find out more information about him. He’s bound to have a weakness somewhere that we can utilize.” There’s a cock of the head before Minato gazes at him again, blue eyes turning darker. “Or maybe, _you_ can become his weakness.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but from all the reports regarding his activities ever since you’ve joined, he seems to only have eyes for you now. Love, infatuation, obsession, whatever you’d like to call it―it’s only _you_. You’ve managed to entice him so much, even other groups have taken notice. That was why Kiri no Nanaken captured you, wasn’t it?”

Kakashi keeps quiet.

“Maybe…” Minato starts. “Maybe you’ve already become his weakness… Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Yes,” Kakashi says. “If it’s true.”

“If it isn’t, then you can make it _become_ true,” Minato tells him. There’s another hum as he looks down, probably checking his wristwatch. “It’s been almost half an hour since you’ve been in here. It’s time to leave lest someone notices and starts to become suspicious.”

Kakashi stares hard at the dark wall in front of him before nodding. “Okay. I will continue to send you reports periodically.”

“Kakashi,” Minato says when he’s about to get out. “Remember, the greater good. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do to achieve a satisfying conclusion. Sometimes, the end _does_ justify the means.”

Kakashi gazes back at him, wondering how much the other can see his expression, and says, “I understand.”

He does. He just wonders how far go can the means be. How far can he go until it is _too_ far?

How far can he go until the point where he is pushing it too much, it teethers, falls, and ultimately ends up breaking everything, instead?

☩

“He went to church today.”

The other hums, his fingers tapping on the wood desk lightly.

Konan shifts. “I didn’t expect it. He didn’t seem like a church-goer type, though I guess it isn’t so far-fetched to think of him as religious, given how pure his mind seems to be.”

“Pure,” the other repeats, gaze still directed blankly at a wall instead of at her, and Konan wipes her palm on her coat, somewhat irked. “I must say, though, Zabuza really… exceeded my expectations of him,” Obito says, switching topics easily, and Konan struggles to snap back into reality.

“Ah, yes. I was surprised, too. Would you like me to―I mean, Nagato is doing his preparations right now. I’m sure he’s set to go off any day now. I could go help him if you’d like.”

“Hmn…” Obito is tapping his fingers on the desk again, a rhythmic pattern, and Konan waits with baited breath. “It seems like he’s said something to him…”

“Huh?”

“But he hasn’t questioned me about it at all,” Obito mumbles, and Konan realizes the other is most likely talking to himself. “I thought he might’ve started to act strange with me after, but if anything, he only seems more… _hmn_.” The tappings suddenly cease, and Obito lifts his head up at her. “Think you can delay Nagato for a week or two?”

“You want me to… hold him back, for the time being?” Konan asks tentatively.

“Mnn… Zabuza is planning something, and I must say, I’m quite curious to see what it is. He has to die, certainly, but… not yet. Not until I check on this one thing first.”

Konan is filled with so many questions, but it isn’t in her place to question what Obito does, or wants, so she nods. “Affirmative. I’ll see if I can keep Nagato away. I’m sure saying something to the extent of Yahiko needing him right now more than he needs revenge will help.”

Obito chuckles, a low, pleased sound. “Isn’t it _great_ how we all get along so well in Akatsuki? A little _too_ well, now that I think about it. But no harm done.”

Konan watches as Obito’s eyes flash, dangerous, and yet, so thrilling. Ominous, but also so electrifying.

“Well,” Obito continues nonchalantly, “at least, not _yet_.”

☩

Kakashi is sprawled out on a bench, arms resting on the balcony railings as he gazes vacantly at the swaying trees below.

He’s honestly so tired.

There are so many things happening at once, so many things he needs to do, to know, to understand, but he feels like he’s on a spiralling chase with no ending line in sight.

Another breeze blows by, rustling the leaves when his phone chimes. Puzzled, Kakashi looks through it to see a text message, number unknown.

_Good afternoon, pretty little puppet._

Frowning, he stares at it for a few seconds before answering back, _Who is this?_

_Did you enjoy our game? I know I did._

Letting out a small gasp, Kakashi grips the phone tight in his hand. _Zabuza_ , he types. How did he get his number?

_You’re so smart, Kakashi, it’s enthralling._

Kakashi cringes. _What do you want?_

_Always cutting right to the chase, aren’t you? But I like it. I like how direct and no-nonsensical you are._

_Then stop being nonsensical yourself. I can’t believe you have the nerve to find my number and texted me._

_You’ll find, Kakashi, I have plenty of nerves in order to get what I want. What I want right now… is you._

_What?_

_Let’s meet up, Kakashi. I’d like to see you again._

Kakashi stares at his phone in disbelief. _And what makes you think I’d agree to that? After all that you’ve done?_

_Because I promise I won’t try to force you again. I’ll let you choose to come to me on your own. And I won’t have anyone with me, waiting to ambush you. It’ll just be me and you, having a nice little chat. I promise._

_And I’m supposed to believe your “promise”? As if I’ll come!_

_Oh, you will, Hatake Kakashi_ , is the message he gets back. _You will, because I know you’re dying to know more about your forgotten past, and I… can help you with it._

Kakashi’s breath hitches. His fingers pause on the screen, hesitant to type back.

 _Aren’t you curious? That game we played was all truths, you know_ , Zabuza texts him before he can think up a reply. _I might’ve used unsavory methods to get you to play, but I was nothing but honest in that game._

Kakashi gnaws on his lip. Zabuza knew he didn’t drop out of college, which means… does he know Kakashi is actually a cop? Not to mention…

_“Are you aware that Obito had already known about you before you met him at Tsuki no Me?”_

Does this mean Obito does, too? Did Minato tell him that? What was the point of Minato sending him to go undercover for Akatsuki, then? Even if Obito had wanted to get close to Kakashi for whatever reason, then why sent Yahiko, too? What exactly does Minato want?

And Obito… what exactly does _he_ want, with Kakashi?

 _I am curious_ , Kakashi finally types back. _But I can’t possibly trust you._

 _Hmn, no, I supposed you can’t_ , the next message says, _but I will tell you this: once I am truly interested in something, I wouldn’t want to force it to become mine. It’s no fun that way, because it’s too easy. I want you to come to me on your own, and eventually, I will have every part of you willingly, too._

Kakashi snorts. What is it about mafia bosses and their need to have this sense of “challenge” in their lives? Do they get off on how people willingly submit to them?

Obito was the same, too.

Still, Zabuza knows something about him, maybe possibly about Obito, and he seems sincere… Or as sincere as he can be, anyways.

This might be a big mistake, but… Kakashi has been making mistakes after mistakes since he’s joined Akatsuki, anyways.

Exhaling steadily, he answers, _Alright. Let’s meet up. I’ll tell you the time and place later._

 _Excellent_ , is what he gets back.

Before Kakashi can think of a plan to meet Zabuza, he hears the roarings of engines and sees a car coming in past that gates. Immediately, he erases the entire conversation and opens up a game app, casually playing on his phone.

It isn’t long before he hears footsteps padding towards him before there’s a body pressed up behind him, arms around his waist.

“Welcome home,” Kakashi says, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as Obito captures his lips in a slow kiss. “Tired?” he asks as they break the kiss and the other starts nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

“Mnn…” Obito mumbles, sucking on a spot below his ear. “So many things to deal with…”

Kakashi places his hands over Obito’s before spinning around and tilting his head. “I can help you, you know. Take off the burden somewhat. We’re supposed to help each other, right?”

Obito crooks an eyebrow at him. “You want to help me?”

“Mnn-hmn,” Kakashi replies, hooking fingers around the other’s nape and pulling him closer. “You made me an Elite but I feel like I haven’t done anything at all. It’s boring just gun-training with Konan every so often,” he complains, pouting.

This induces a bout of chuckle from Obito as he leans in and nips playfully at Kakashi’s bottom lip that is jutting out. “Alright, I’ll see if I can hand over one of my branches to you. I trust you’ll do good work, yes?”

“Of course,” Kakashi mutters between kisses. He feels himself being pushed backwards, the steel digging into his skin as Obito backs him up, practically flattening Kakashi onto the railings.

“But first,” Obito whispers against his lips, glancing at the glazed look in Kakashi’s eyes, “how do you feel about having sex on the balcony?”

Kakashi only crooks a smile as he pulls him in for another kiss, assenting. 

☩

Kakashi is bent over the railings, fingers gripping tightly against the steel as he breathes raggedly, two fingers up his ass.

“You feel so soft inside, ‘Kashi,” Obito is saying. “So warm and obliging―You’d take _whatever_ I’d give you, wouldn’t you?” He makes his point by sliding a third finger in and curling them, making Kakashi spasm in front of him.

“ _Obito_ ,” Kakashi whines, clenching his eyes shut as he drops his forehead to rest on the railings, seeing whites beneath his closed eyelids. “Stop being such a tease.”

“But your reactions are so cute,” the other replies, tone almost cooing as he pulls his fingers apart horizontally, spreading Kakashi even further. “No matter how much or how long I finger you, your cute little hole is always clamping down on me, enveloping me. Do you like it, ‘Kashi? Does it feel good?”

“Stop asking me that!” Kakashi snaps, ass unconsciously pushing back onto Obito’s fingers as the other continues to press relentlessly against his prostate.

“But look at the way you’re opening up so prettily for me,” Obito says, and Kakashi almost jolts as he feels another finger rubbing on his rim, stretching the hole even further apart. “How much do you think you can fit, just for me?”

Before Kakashi can even think of how alarming that question sounded, his throat lets out a choked sob as he feels a fourth finger―Obito’s pinky? Or is it from his other hand?―wedging inside him. “ _Oh my god…_ ”

“Baby, you take me in so well,” Obito marvels, his voice filled with distinct glee.

“Obito, please,” Kakashi manages to cry out, his vision filled with splotches of neon colors as he struggles to breathe through the overwhelming feeling of being so _full_.

“You always make the prettiest sounds too,” Obito notes as he picks up his pace. “So cute.”

Kakashi doesn’t even bother to sigh exasperatedly at Obito’s typical behavior since he doesn’t think he even has the energy to spare. There are _four fingers up his ass_ and it’s not like they’re just staying still―no, Obito is relentlessly pushing against his spot while also gliding along his walls, caressing the soft insides at the same time.

Kakashi is pretty sure he would’ve come already if it hadn't been for the sudden hand wrapping around his cock, stopping him.

At least that answers his vague musings from earlier―Obito had inserted his pinky in.

“Stop teasing and fuck me already,” Kakashi says instead, panting against the railings. A breeze blows by, the sudden coldness have him shuddering and unintentionally jostling the fingers inside him, making Kakashi let out a pitiful whimper.

“But you’re being so good for me right now.”

“I am always good for you,” Kakashi answers before his mind can catch up to his mouth, and promptly blushes―not that one can even tell with how red his entire face has been looking due to the exertion thus far.

Obito stills for a moment, and Kakashi exhales in relief as he feels the other retracting his fingers, one by one. His legs start quivering soon after, having nothing to anchor him anymore, and Kakashi is about to collapse to the ground when he feels hands grasping at his sides before he’s being flipped around and pushed up on the balcony railings, legs automatically wrapping around the other’s waist to stabilize himself.

He doesn’t even have time to catch his breath―Obito’s tongue diving into his mouth and engaging him in a deep kiss. Kakashi feels his vision blurring when Obito finally breaks the kiss due to how _overwhelmed_ he feels, too much stimulations and sensations for him to physically handle.

“You really are always so good for me,” Obito murmurs before nuzzling into the crook of Kakashi’s neck, chuckling. “I love you, you know that, right?”

Kakashi finds he can’t do much but nod, his mind still floating due to the merciless teasing earlier.

“Always so _good_ , such a good boy,” Obito is still saying. “All that, all for _me_.” He shifts both of their weights, steadying Kakashi’s back against the railings and his fingers holding Kakashi up securely by his waist before dropping the latter down onto his cock.

Kakashi can’t help but let out a long-drawn moan at the feeling of being filled up again, this time so familiar―so _right_. “ _Obito..._ ”

“It’s always going to be like this, right?” Obito says as he fucks up into Kakashi with steady thrusts. “You’re always going to be like this, for me, right?”

“H―Huh?” Kakashi asks blankly as his back keeps sliding up the railings with every jostle.

“I meant,” Obito growls, slamming into Kakashi with great force and crushing the latter in-between the railings and his chest, “that you’re _mine_ , right?”

Kakashi blinks dazed, confused eyes at him, his mind still a mess with Obito hitting against his prostate incessantly. “Y―Yeah? I already said that― _ahh…_ ―before,” Kakashi struggles to answer through the thrusts.

“Is that…” Obito starts, licking his lips. “Is that… a promise?”

Somewhere in a distant corner of Kakashi’s mind, there are buzzing noises as it tries to grasp at something― _something_ just right out of his reach―something because this, this feels _familiar―_

Familiar…?

Before Kakashi can contemplate on this, though, Obito is pressing his lips against Kakashi’s and licking into his mouth, and all of Kakashi’s thought-processes come to a halt as he loses himself in the kiss.

“You’re mine,” Obito whispers against his lips. “Promise me that you’re always going to be mine.”

And Kakashi, so lost in the dark depths of Obito’s eyes―so close to him that he can see his own reflection staring back at him in those black pools, unthinkingly answers, “Okay, I promise.”

☩

It’s dark at night as Kakashi walks through the streets. It actually wasn’t that difficult to sneak out, seeing as how Obito is out on a “business trip” of some sort for three days, and has taken Kisame along with him. Konan usually accompanies Kakashi out, but Konan can’t sleep inside Obito’s house―which means Kakashi is free to roam out at night as long as he doesn’t catch the attentions of the maids.

He walks down the riverbank and looks underneath the bridge overpass. As expected, a certain someone is already there, back against the stone wall.

“Hello there, pretty puppet.”

Kakashi scowls as he trods towards him. “Stop calling me that.”

“But that’s what you are, aren’t you?” Zabuza says, chuckling as he sees Kakashi hesitating in front of him. With a tug of the wrist, he pulls Kakashi down next to him.

“None of your lackeys here with you this time?” Kakashi asks as he looks around them.

“None. As promised. Just you and me tonight.”

Kakashi narrows his eyes as he looks back at the other. “Tell me what you know.”

There’s a bark of laughter from the other. “Hatake Kakashi, forever blunt and forthright. Not even a greeting?”

“We aren’t here for small talks.”

“Mnn, no, I suppose not,” Zabuza muses before reaching a hand out. Kakashi immediately flinches back. “You’re even more gorgeous without a screen between us,” he says, undeterred.

“If I recall correctly, you were the one who put it there.”

“I was simply being… careful. Obito is… well, you know how Obito is.”

“Smarter than you?”

To Kakashi’s surprise, Zabuza simply lets out another chuckle. “If that’s what you’d like to think,” he says. “Does he know his precious little _treasure_ is here, alone, with me now?”

Kakashi frowns. The way everybody keeps referring to him, as if he is Obito’s object. A _possession_.

Although Kakashi supposes they aren’t necessarily wrong, but… it still grates on his nerves being called as such.

“If Obito knew you would already be dead,” Kakashi answers. “Now get back to the point. Tell me what you know.”

Zabuza gazes at him for a moment before shrugging. “Just a little something-something about your past.”

Kakashi tries to control his eagerness. “Like what?”

“Like what happened to you seven years ago.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I was there.”

“ _What?_ ” Kakashi almost shouts, his voice breaking the silence of the night.

“Now don’t get me wrong, I had nothing to do with it. I was merely a… spectator, you see. A guest, along with my old boss. At that time, Kiri no Nanaken and Akatsuki were still on good terms, and I was simply invited to watch a demonstration of… power.”

“You were watching me―” Kakashi starts, before letting out a gasp. “Wait, you were invited… by _Akatsuki_? So that means _Akatsuki_ did this to me? They were the ones who caused everything?”

Zabuza simply tilts his head at him. “Poor little thing, getting caught up by the adults’ game of ego boosts.”

“Shut up,” Kakashi hisses, his mind racing. Akatsuki were the ones―who ruined his life―made him forget all his memories―they―

“Seven years ago,” Kakashi realizes suddenly, licking his lips, “Obito wasn’t the boss of Akatsuki seven years ago. It was only―two years later―”

“You really love him, huh?” Zabuza says, chuckling. “You _actually_ love him. Oh, the irony.”

“What irony?” Kakashi growls.

“Ah, nothing. I’m afraid I’ve said too much,” Zabuza singsongs, gazing at him with a mysterious smile. “I’m afraid I’ve _given_ you too much.”

“Huh?”

“So…” Zabuza murmurs, leaning in close. Kakashi can feel Zabuza’s breath tickling the side of his neck despite the mask covering the lower half Zabuza’s face, and he tries not to jerk away, because the other still has information, and― “What will you be giving me back in exchange?”

“Give… back?”

“Nothing in this world is free, Kakashi. At least, not in our cruel, fucked up world,” Zabuza tells him, and before Kakashi can react, there are fingers gripping at his wrists before he gets slammed onto the stone wall behind him, and then―

Zabuza is _kissing_ him.

Zabuza had pulled down his mask and is now kissing him. It’s a brutal kiss, Zabuza’s tongue lunging its way into Kakashi’s mouth and down his throat, rendering him unable to breathe properly. The other’s fingers are digging into the skin at his wrists tightly as Zabuza crushes his body against Kakashi, pinning him onto the wall. Recovering from the shock, Kakashi immediately lifts one of his legs and presses it against Zabuza’s body, pushing the other away with all his might. Zabuza is slightly taller and bigger than him, but it’s nothing he can’t handle.

There is a sudden loud noise ricocheting through the air, the sound earbleedingly loud in the still night.

It’s a gunshot.

Zabuza stumbles back and Kakashi tries to catch his breath, feeling shame and anger coursing through him as saliva drips past his lip and trails down his chin from the savage kiss just now.

He doesn’t have time to think more, though, for there are suddenly more gunshots blasting, and Kakashi looks ahead at the same direction Zabuza is staring at to see someone standing in front of them, his back to them, currently engaged in a shooting match with someone far away, too dark to see clearly.

Kakashi is wondering how it is, with so many bullets flying towards them, that none have managed hit him or Zabuza yet. Only upon closer watch does he realize with amazement that for every bullet coming their way, the person in front of them is also countering back with another bullet, cancelling each shot out.

“I thought…” Kakashi starts, his voice raspy and he curses himself. “I thought you said you didn’t bring anyone with you. That you came alone.”

“Ah, but I did,” Zabuza replies, shifting his eyes back to him. “I came alone. It’s not my fault if my favorite subordinate decided to follow me, now is it? Besides, if he hadn’t done so, I’d have been minced meat with all the bullet holes inside me already, all thanks to your boss.”

Kakashi widens his eyes, snapping his head back to the scene in front of him as the bullets gradually lessen and come to a stop.

“Haku,” Zabuza calls out, “that’s enough. Let’s go.”

“Aww,” the person in front of them― _Haku_? Could that be the Kiri no Nanaken’s notorious assassin?―huffs. “But I was looking forward to have a show-off with the psycho bitch over there. Time to prove once and for all that _I’m_ the superior one.”

Kakashi’s eyes widen. The person has long hair, but the voice sounds like a man―no, a _boy_. Kakashi is sure that boy is no older than fifteen, judging from his height and voice that has barely cracked. The way he talks, though―

“‘Psycho bitch’?” a voice resounds from the other person who was shooting at them, and Kakashi realizes with a start that it’s _Konan_ ’s voice. _Konan is here_. “That’s rich coming from _you_ , you deranged crackhead.”

“Thank you for the lovely kiss. You tasted as sweet as I had imagined,” Zabuza says suddenly to him, and before Kakashi can react, Zabuza is flipping off something inside his palm, and then there is smoke _everywhere_ , blinding his entire vision.

A smokebomb. Just like last time.

“Should I come after them?” Kakashi hears Konan asks as the smoke starts to clear and Zabuza and Haku are nowhere in sight.

“Yeah,” another voice replies, and Kakashi feels his entire body freezing, all the hairs on his skin rising as he recognizes who it is.

It’s _Obito_.

 _Shit_.

“Capture them at all costs,” Obito continues. “Call Nagato if you need to. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help. Just don’t tell him to be trigger-happy―I want them alive.”

“Roger,” Konan says before dashing off, and Kakashi watches, still frozen, as Obito makes his way slowly towards him.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi starts, only to feel fingers curling around his throat firmly, _painfully_ , before hauling him up by the neck and making Kakashi’s lips part in a choked gasp. Immediately, there are two fingers plunging inside his mouth, pressing deep down his throat as Kakashi struggles to breathe, asphyxiating for air.

“You let him _touch_ you here? You let him _kiss_ you?” Obito murmurs, voice low and frighteningly calm. Kakashi glances up at him helplessly, tears dripping from his eyes as the fingers continue to dig down his esophagus, and he can’t breathe― _he can’t breathe―_

There’s a harsh shove from the other, making Kakashi collide at the wall, before Obito is crouching down, staring at him straight in the eyes.

Kakashi lets out a pathetic whimper at the dark look on Obito’s face―he’s never seen Obito so _furious_ , so _enraged_ , before, and it’s―it’s―

It hits him with startling clarity that _this_ ― _Uchiha Obito_ ―is _truly_ the feared, ruthless mafia boss of Akatsuki, no matter how sweet he had treated Kakashi before.

“Do you remember what you told me, Kakashi?” Obito says, almost too casually. “You _promised_ me that you’re mine. Do you remember? Hmn? Then why did you break our promise?”

Kakashi pants haphazardly, his entire body trembling.

“Do you know what happens to _a bad boy who breaks his promise_ , Kakashi?” Obito asks, leaning close. His lips are brushing against Kakashi’s ear as he whispers, “He gets _punished_.”

☩

A harsh shove at his back has Kakashi stumbling into the room, Obito shutting the door close behind him. There’s no reason for him to lock it because, well, who would dare to barge into _Uchiha Obito_ ’s room without permission?

“Strip,” the other says before Kakashi has a chance to face him. “Hands and knees on the bed.”

“Obito…”

“Now,” Obito bellows, making Kakashi startle and scramble to take off his clothes with shaky fingers. He clenches his eyes shut as he climbs onto the bed, waiting.

He feels a dip on the bed behind him. “O―Obito…”

“Tell me why you’re kneeling on the bed right now, Kakashi,” Obito says, voice smooth as silk. He trails a lone finger from the end of Kakashi’s neck down along the curve of his spine, making the latter shudder due to the sensitivity.

“I―I’m sorry,” Kakashi stutters. “I shouldn’t have gone out, I shouldn’t have met with Zabuza― _ahh―_!” Kakashi’s head dives down the mattress at the sudden harsh slap to his ass, jostling his entire body.

“Don’t you dare say his name,” Obito growls, grabbing a fistful of his hair and forcing his head up, bending it back at an awkward angle. “Don’t you _dare_ say another man’s name―not while you’re with me, understand?”

“Y―Yes…”

“Hmn…” Obito lets go of his hold, Kakashi’s head flopping uselessly back onto the mattress again. “Now tell me why you’re not at the Metal right now. Tell me why you’re not bent over inside Tsuki no Me being fucked into the ground for everyone to see. Tell me why you’re inside my room, on my bed, instead. Tell me, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi lets out a sniffle. “I―I don’t kno―” his word morphs into a scream at the callous slap at his ass again, the once pale skin there slowly turning into an angry shade of red, and it _stings_.

“If you don’t know,” Obito says lightly, “then maybe I should take you to Tsuki no Me after all, hmn?”

“N―No! I―” Kakashi’s mind is racing, trying to think of what to reply. “B―Because… I wouldn’t like it if you did that?”

“And why should that be of any concern to me?”

“B―Because…” Kakashi pauses, biting on his lip. “Because… you love me?” he whispers.

There’s a hum from somewhere above him before he feels a hand massaging his burning buttcheek soothingly. “And why should I love you when you let another man kiss you?”

“I didn’t! It was―he caged me in and forced it on me, I’m sorry.”

“Still a bad boy, though,” Obito replies. “Remember how you told me you’re always good for me? Well, that’s just not true anymore, is it?”

“It is!” Kakashi protests, breath hitching as the hand on his butt trails down, circling his rim before two fingers are plunged in at once. “I―I’m sorry,” he tries to say as his ass clenches around the fingers, so familiar and wanting more. “I won’t do it again, I’m sorry, Obito, I’m―”

Kakashi jerks in surprise, sentence halting when he feels Obito pushing something inside him, bigger than a finger. It’s round, about the same size as a golf ball, but thinner.

Obito pushes it deep inside Kakashi, letting it be lodged there before retracting his fingers. “ _Oh god…_ ” the latter breathes as he feels his own walls constricting against the intruder. “Obito, what are you―”

“I’m not going to tie you up,” the other replies, voice clear. “I’m not going to restrain you in any way. Because I won’t have to. You’re going to stay there, on your hands and knees with your ass up in the air like a bitch, and you’re going to _take it_. You’re going to take it and take it until I tell you to stop.”

With that, Kakashi hears a flicker of a switch being turned on before his entire body spasms, crumbling onto the bed as that―that _toy_ ―inside him, starts vibrating, knocking directly onto his prostate. “ _Oh my god_ , Obito…” Kakashi exhales, squeezing his eyes shut and fingers bunching into the mattress below as his ass clenches around the toy. Distantly, he feels something slipping onto his cock, and Kakashi lets out a sob as he recognizes it to be a cockring. “Obito, _please…_ ”

“Your hands are free,” the other states. “You can easily pull out the vibrator or take off the cockring, but you _won’t_.” Kakashi feels lips brushing against his ear as Obito crouches down next to him. “You won’t, because you’re going to let me do whatever it is I want to do to you, _willingly_. Isn’t that right, ‘Kashi?”

“Obito, I’m―” Kakashi whimpers, tears falling down onto his own arms as splotches of white permeates his vision. The vibrator won’t stop hitting against his spot, and it feels _so good_ but it’s also _pure torture_ ―he wants to come so badly, but can’t―he can’t he can’t he _can’t―_

“Tell me I’m wrong, ‘Kashi,” Obito murmurs, kissing his cheek as his thumb flicks the switch all the way up, and Kakashi collapses fully onto the bed, knees giving out as his ass continues to twitch with the toy inside of him, now turned on to maximum level.

Obito flips Kakashi onto his back before hovering over him, smashing their lips together. Kakashi lets Obito licks his way into his mouth, tongue shoved down his throat, before the latter trails lips down the curve of his jawline and onto his neck, sucking a mark there.

Kakashi’s fingers grasps onto Obito’s back, crinkling his shirt as he mewls, “Obito, _please_. Please please take it off please let me come I can’t take this _please―_ ”

“I told you, you can take it off yourself if you want to,” Obito murmurs, licking over the blooming bruise on Kakashi’s pale skin. “So why aren’t you?”

“Because―You―” Kakashi sobs, fingernails digging into the other’s skin through his shirt. “Because I _can’t―_ ”

“Yes, you can. I won’t stop you.”

Kakashi shakes his head vehemently. “I can’t, because you―I―” he stumbles, his mind a mess as the vibrator continues to pound against his prostate at an erratic pace, and it’s too much― _too much―_

“Let me tell you why you can’t,” Obito says softly, seemingly nonplussed at Kakashi’s red face, the beads of sweat sliding down his temple, and the tears still drenching his cheeks. “You can’t because you’re a good boy for me, isn’t that right, ‘Kashi? You’re not a bad boy, right?”

“No, no I’m not,” Kakashi answers mindlessly. “I’m a good boy, please take it off―”

“Because you only belong to me, right? You’re not going to let anyone else touch you ever again, right?” Kakashi mumbles something incoherent in return, and Obito’s eyes narrow as he pushes two fingers inside his hole, ramming the vibrator further into Kakashi.

“ _Obito―_ ” Kakashi chokes, clawing uselessly at Obito’s back.

“Answer me.”

“Yes,” he gasps, staring wildly into Obito’s dark eyes. “Yes, I belong to you. I’ll do whatever you want, so please, _please―_ ”

“You haven’t answered me why you won’t take it off yourself,” Obito murmurs, lips curled into a smirk as he leans down and places a soft kiss onto Kakashi’s flushed cheek.

“Because…” Kakashi hitches back a sob, lips trembling. “Because… I don’t―I don’t want to disappoint you. I want to please you. I want to be good for you. I love you. I love you I love you I lo―”

“Shhh,” Obito soothes, placing another soft kiss onto Kakashi’s other cheek, still wet with tears. “You’ve done well.” His thumb slides the switch down and chucks away the remote as he watches Kakashi convulses, gradually calming down as the toy stills inside of him.

“Obito…” Kakashi hiccups, clinging onto the other. “I’m sorry, please let me come, _please…_ ”

There’s a small sigh from the other man before he slides the cockring off, giving Kakashi a few strokes before the latter jerks, coming messily all over his body and Obito’s hand.

And then his head flops to the side, blacking out.

Obito only chuckles at the passed out Kakashi and gathers him up into his arms, holding him tight. “You’re _mine_ , Kakashi,” he whispers dangerously. “I won’t ever let you go.”

☩

Kakashi wakes up with a groan, his entire body sore as hell. He blinks hazily around before noticing that he’s the only one inside the room. Heaving a sigh, he wobbles to the bathroom and takes a long shower to clean himself up properly.

Kakashi walks out into the parlor to find Kisame sitting by the steps. The other man gives a glance at him, more specifically at how he’s limping while walking, and Kakashi feels his face heating up in embarrassment.

“I―I’m going outside to buy something,” Kakashi declares, and the other simply shrugs and doesn’t try to follow him.

After one of Obito’s drivers takes him to a nearby shopping center, Kakashi wanders aimlessly inside. It’s not like he has anything he needs to buy, but being inside Obito’s house feels so _oppressive_ right now―he can’t take all the knowing looks the butlers and maids give him about what happened last night.

It’s when he’s blankly looking through some coats that he hears a voice nearby. “Kakashi.”

Kakashi snaps his head around to see someone standing beside him, dressed in all black with a snapback pulled down low, covering his face. “You are…”

The other lifts the beak up to reveal his face.

“Itachi…” Kakashi breathes. Wow, he hasn’t seen him since that time he’s stepped into Minato’s office, so long ago. Immediately, he looks around.

“Don’t worry,” Itachi whispers, “I’ve checked the surrounding area. Konan is following you, but she’s far off to the side. Pretend I used to be one of your classmates and we just happened to meet.”

Kakashi nods, and they pretend to exchange pleasantries before heading to the rest area to talk. It’s a Wednesday morning, so there aren’t many people around.

“So what brings you here?” Kakashi asks, keeping his voice low. Itachi had told him Konan will be able to see what he does, but not hear what he says due to the distance.

“Minato wanted me to check up on you. He’s heard of the gundown yesterday by the bridge underpass.”

Kakashi cringes. “I’m… okay. That was just… Zabuza wanted to meet me in exchange for information, so I went. Obito was apparently following me all along though, so Konan and―Haku?―started shooting at each other. To be honest, I don’t know what happened to Kiri no Nanaken.” _I wasn’t in a state to be asking Obito that last night_ , he gloomily adds internally.

Itachi simply nods. “I’ve heard Akatsuki and Kiri no Nanaken have been enemies ever since Obito became the boss, so I suppose this isn’t surprising.”

Kakashi nods back, before peeking at the other man. Minato said Itachi is his second-in-command, someone he trusts, but Kakashi wonders if Itachi knows about who Minato really is, too. Are they in on this together, or is Minato simply using Itachi?

“Itachi…” Kakashi starts. “You’ve… Have you been a cop for a long time? You seem close to Minato.”

“I’ve known Minato for a long time. I joined the police force only two years ago, but I’ve been helping them since I was at the academy. I guess that was why the others didn’t mind when Minato assigned me as his second-in-command immediately after I had joined.” Itachi says with a shrug.

Kakashi’s eyes slightly widen in antonishment. Itachi looks around his age. If he graduated from the police academy two years ago and managed to get promoted so quickly... that means he must be a genius. Kakashi had had to work extra hard since his senior year in high school so that he could apply to a good college and graduate as quickly as possible. He barely had a social life, only focusing on collecting as many awards and loading up his resume with as many accomplishments as possible to make sure that he would get accepted in the Criminal Investigation Division right after he completed his training at the police academy.

Kakashi licks his lips. “Do you mind if I ask what exactly is it that you do? I mean, are you handling this case too, or are you working on another one?”

“I work on whatever. I’m usually the information and decoder guy. I do background stuff, so that’s why I can show myself in front of Akatsuki. They most likely won’t recognize me.”

“You provide information and decode stuff? Like…”

“I know I haven’t really been talking to you,” Itachi replies, “but I usually help Yahiko. Just a month ago, I was the one who helped him crack the password on this computer system.”

“Oh, you mean Nagato’s computer?” Kakashi asks, surprised. So Itachi was the one who had been helping Yahiko behind-the-scenes? He wonders if Yahiko’s told Itachi about Minato’s real name yet, then.

“Yeah. My official title is the Intelligence Analyst.”

“Then… you must have a lot of information, right? Can you… tell me more about Akatsuki? Minato honestly didn’t give me a lot, and I’d like to know more about them to strategize better.”

Itachi hums, gazing at him, and Kakashi feels a bit irked at how dark his irises are, leaving Kakashi unable to decipher the meaning behind them. “I’m not sure what you want to know, and what you haven’t known, already. Let’s see… Obito became the boss five years ago, after the previous boss died. Akatsuki was actually a pretty small gang back then, and it was only under Obito’s administration that they grew to be so powerful. That man has… an eye for picking out people, I suppose.”

“What do you mean?”

“Aside from a select few people, the rest of the members in the Elites are those Obito recruited and gathered himself, and, well, he sure knows how to pick people. The Elites are _strong_ ―not just physically but they’re also very smart and _cunning_. That’s how Akatsuki grew to become so formidable in just a few years.”

Kakashi licks his lips. “Who are those select few, then? The people who’ve been in Akatsuki before Obito took over?”

“Hmn… Nagato is one of them―he’s been the backbone of Akatsuki for years. Kisame is one, too, although I heard he didn’t actually become an Elite until Obito took command.”

“…Anyone else? Do you know who Obito’s right-hand man is?”

Itachi blinks. “Now that you mention it, his right-hand man is hardly ever talked about. I’m not sure if he even exists.” He laughs lightly. “Yahiko told me no one really knows who that person is, since most of the members came into Akatsuki after that person was already gone. Nagato wouldn’t tell him, either.”

Kakashi mulls over this information. So… the mysterious right-hand man of Obito, whom most people don’t know, not even the police or the Elites themselves.

Is that person Minato? Or is it someone else entirely?

“You’re trying really hard for this mission, huh?” Itachi says suddenly, jolting Kakashi out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask Obito yourself?”

“Huh?” Kakashi repeats.

There’s a brief smile on Itachi’s face before he reaches up and presses two fingers on the side of Kakashi’s neck. “ _This_. Had a rough night last night?”

Kakashi jerks back, hand instantly covering the spot the other had just touched. Belatedly, he realizes it’s at the same place where Obito had sucked a hickey onto him yesterday, and it must be a blooming bruise by now. He hadn’t noticed when he was in the bathroom earlier due to how out of it he was. “T―This is―”

“There must be a lot of marks scattered all across your body, hidden under this shirt, right?” Itachi says evenly, glancing down, and Kakashi blushes.

“I―”

“I heard Obito seems really fond of you. They say you’re his favorite.” Itachi shifts his gaze back up at him. “Then why don’t you try getting information out of him after you… have _pleased_ him?”

Kakashi blushes harder. “That… sounds easier than it actually is. Obito wouldn’t―”

“Then I guess you just have to put your skills to use, right? After all…” Itachi pauses, giving Kakashi a once-over, and his eyes are black, unreadable. “There must be something _special_ about you, that Obito seems to be so taken with, right?”

Kakashi lets out a shuddering breath, not sure what to answer back.

“Well, it’s been awhile,” Itachi says, glancing down at this watch. “I should go back and report to Minato. It was nice meeting you again, Kakashi.”

“Y―You, too,” Kakashi stutters, mind still racing at Itachi’s cryptic words and actions.

☩

Kakashi spends the rest of the day wandering around the shops for some quiet time alone with his thoughts before he finally heads home.

“O―Obito…” Kakashi whispers, finding the other on the couch, watching the television in the living room.

Obito spares a glance at Kakashi before looking back at the flatscreen, ignoring him.

Gulping, Kakashi trods over and sits down next to him. “Obito… are you still mad at me?”

No response.

“I’m sorry…” Kakashi drops his head down, staring at the ground. “I don’t know what you want me to do… Haven’t you already p―punished me?”

“You still made a bad decision,” Obito says, not looking at him.

“I’m sorry, it was―” Kakashi takes a deep breath, wondering how much he should tell Obito, and if it’ll affect his mission in any way. “Z―Zabuza said he has information… about my past.”

The other finally turns to him, crooking an eyebrow.

“I…” Kakashi sniffs, exhaling shakily. “Something happened to me seven years ago… Something that caused me to have amnesia.”

“…You have amnesia?”

Kakashi nods. “It’s―It’s not like I forgot everything, but… the entire year where I was a senior in middle school―all of that has been wiped clean. The doctor said it was too traumatic for me to remember.” 

Obito doesn’t say anything back, and Kakashi continues.

“That’s why when Zabuza told me to meet him in exchange for information… I agreed… I’m sorry…”

“And what did he tell you?”

“He said…” Kakashi slowly lifts his head up. “He said _Akatsuki_ … did this to me.”

“Hmn… is that so?”

“D―Do you know anything about it? I know you weren’t the boss seven years ago, but…”

“Honestly, I’m not too sure. There’s a lot of things the old man did that I wasn’t privy to. After all, a boss never fully tells his subordinates everything.”

Kakashi nods, agreeing. “You’re like that, too, right?”

Obito only gives him a vague smile. “But isn’t this a good thing then? You’ve already got your revenge, right?”

“Huh?”

“If Akatsuki did this to you, then your revenge is completed, right? Because the former boss is already dead? Everything is finished, right?”

Kakashi widens his eyes in shock. Truthfully, he hasn’t really had time to properly sit down and think about this, but…

Obito is right.

If what Zabuza said is true, then… the person who had caused him all this anguish the past seven years… is already dead. Meaning he already got his revenge.

Meaning there’s no reason for him to become a cop anymore, since he had only strived to become a cop to find out more information about his case and the person who had done this to him.

Meaning there’s no reason for him to continue this… _mission_ anymore―this mission to take down Obito and Akatsuki.

Meaning there’s no reason for him to be by Obito’s side anymore, playing this pretend game of love.

“Stay by my side, Kakashi,” Obito murmurs, cutting through his thoughts. “Put a close to the chapter of your old life, and be with _me_. Let’s start a _new life_ together.”

Kakashi stares into Obito’s eyes, enraptured, before slowly sliding his eyes shut and letting Obito connect their lips in a sweet kiss.

Start a new life together… with Obito?

☩

Kakashi stares blankly up at the ceiling. The sun is shining through the windows, and the space next to him has long gone cold. Heaving a sigh, he gets up and pads to the bathroom to wash up.

Another new day is about to begin.

He heads to the backyard garden, intending to take in the fresh air and stabilize his thoughts a little, when he pauses by the door.

Kisame is sitting on a chair at a table, a mug of coffee in his hands, and Kakashi gnaws on his lip.

According to Itachi, Kisame is one of the few besides Nagato who has been there since before Obito became the boss. This must means the other man probably knows a great deal about Akatsuki’s history.

Exhaling steady, he walks over and sits across from him. “Hi.”

Kisame looks at him warily.

Kakashi sighs. “Look, this has been on my mind for some time, but… why are you so… _hostile_ towards me?”

The other flattens his lips. “What?”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to be best friends with me, but… all the other Elites―we get along fine. But you… whenever you see me it’s like you see the person who ran over your dead kitten or something. It’s not a good feeling, especially since I see you all the time because you’re Obito’s bodyguard. Have I… done something to offend you?”

Kisame stares at him for a long time before looking away. “It’s―It’s not… This is how I get when I see someone I’m… uncomfortable with.”

“And why are you uncomfortable with me? I know that I sort of came out of nowhere, and I guess you’re mad at me for being an Elite so quickly, but―”

“It’s not that,” Kisame cuts in. “I mean, it was that, _originally_ , but it’s not―”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

“It’s…” Kisame hesitates, before continuing, “you’re… _different_. I don’t get you.”

“What?” Kakashi asks, confused.

“I’ve always thought you were strange, but… you are _truly_ different from the rest of us. When I…” Kisame pauses, seemingly very reluctant. “When I took you to the hospital to see Yahiko that time, you were… You were _crying_. For him. And, I mean, we’re in _Akatsuki_ ―injuries and deaths happen all the time. We’re all used to it. Even if it happens to someone close to us, we hold our tears back until we’re in the privacy of our own homes, but you… you were _openly_ crying, not caring who was watching you.”

Kakashi glowers. “Well, excuse me for being emotional over causing the coma of one of my closest friends.”

“No, I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” Kisame interjects. “You just seemed so genuine and it… reminds me of someone.”

Kakashi frowns, remembering how Yahiko has told him something similar. Just how many people are there who resemble him now?

“He was in Akatsuki, too. Only seventeen, but very skilled. He wasn’t heartless like the rest of us―only with us because he needed the money. The two of us often got assigned as partners on missions.” Kisame pauses to glance up at the sky above them. “And then during this one mission, we were cornered. I had to kill him to keep our intel information from being leaked. It was an order―the old boss was a lot more ruthless than Obito. That kid... He’d had the chance to kill me first, but like the fool he was, he chose not to and ended up dead at my hands.” He ends his naration with a humorless laugh.

Kakashi stares at the man next to him, lips slightly parted in surprise.

Kisame turns to meet his eyes. “People like you don’t belong in this world, Kakashi.”

Kakashi lowers his gaze, unsure of what to say.

“Or maybe your fate won’t be as unfortunte as his. You’re Obito’s favorite after all,” Kisame adds after a few moments. “He was nobody important, and I’m probably the only one who still remembers him.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kisame doesn’t reply and silence surrounds them both for another few moments.

Licking his lips once again, Kakashi decides to take his chance. “You said the boss before Obito was ruthless, right? How did Obito come into this position then?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“Ah, but you see…” Kakashi says, giving the other a sheepish smile. “When I’m with him, we don’t really talk… We do _other things_ , instead.”

Kisame rolls his eyes and Kakashi chuckles.

“I just... want to understand him better,” Kakashi adds, which isn’t a lie. He isn’t doing this solely for the mission anymore. He truly wants to know how much of this is actually real to Obito. “He treats me so nicely most of the time, but sometimes... he does these things that kind of scare me. Like what he did at Amaterasu.” He grimaces. “So I’m hoping that by getting to know him better, I can avoid doing things that might upset him. And you’re his bodyguard. You’re probably closer to him than anyone else in Akatsuki, right?”

Kisame stares at him for a long moment, seemingly contemplating, before he averts his gaze and says, “It’s true I’m his bodyguard… He assigned me this position himself.”

“Oh?”

“The old boss was… He wasn’t very well-liked, see,” Kisame begins. “Akatsuki was a very small gang back then, and the old boss was… very reckless. Needlessly violent and cruel. He was incredibly arrogant without the manpower to back up his claims. I didn’t… I didn’t like the way he ran Akatsuki,” he mutters.

Kakashi nods, listening attentively.

“All through this time, Obito was silently gathering the support of several members―Nagato, for example. And me. And finally, five years ago… He did a coup d'état―he killed the old boss.”

Kakashi widens his eyes. Obito was the one who―

“We didn’t really think he would do it―I thought he was gonna wait until the old boss got killed by someone else or died of old age. After all…” Kisame blinks distantly, “they were _father and son_.”

“ _What?_ ”

“The old boss, Uchiha Madara, is the father of Uchiha Obito _._ He shot his own father to become the boss of Akatsuki.”

Kakashi feels the breath knocked out of him. So Obito was not only the son of the previous boss, but he had also killed his own father to take over Akatsuki?

“Thank you for telling me this, Kisame,” Kakashi says, exhaling steadily and giving him a smile as he gets up.

“Kakashi,” the other calls out as Kakashi walks away. “This life... It might end up ruining you someday.”

Kakashi nods, still with a smile on his face. “Thank you for the warning, Kisame. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 _It’s already ruining me_ , is what he doesn’t say.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW : Threats of rape

Kakashi isn’t stupid. He knows there are still many holes left in his memory. Still so many things he doesn’t understand―doesn’t remember.

But he does know it all seems to connect to _Akatsuki_ , somehow.

“Aren’t you excited?” Konan says beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I… guess,” Kakashi answers distractedly.

Obito had finally assigned him a job earlier this morning.

_“Arms… dealer?”_

_“Yes,” Obito replies with an indulgent smile. “It seems you're fascinated with weapons, aren’t you? About their history, their functions, all the different types out there, et cetera.”_

_Kakashi widens his eyes in surprise. “I do, but I didn’t think you’d notice.”_

_“I didn’t. It was Konan.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“I told you she’d treat you well,” Obito says. “Konan used to be our unofficial arms dealer and the handler of all our stocks, but if you get this job, she can have more time to, well, do her actual job.”_

_“You mean killing people?”_

_Obito chuckles. “Yes, I mean killing people. For me.”_

Kakashi blinks back from the flashback and glances at the woman beside him. They’re in a car, on their way to a place Konan has said she's been keeping the majority of the new weapons.

“It’s this huuuge building I’ve found awhile back,” Konan elaborates. “It’s very intricately-designed, but for some reason it seems to be abandoned. Well, it’s within our territory, and I guess we have way too many places we can use so it’s only natural a few get forgotten and neglected over time.”

“And you use it to keep our weapons?”

Konan nods. “The building you trained at, it was getting too small, see. So I cleaned this place up a bit and have kept our newer stocks there, instead. I’m taking you there now so you can decide on what you want to do with them.”

“Oh… Thanks.”

Konan shrugs. “No problem. I’ve told you before…” She spares a glance at Kakashi, one hand still on the wheel. “You _interest_ me. When will you stop resisting my… invitations?”

Kakashi purses his lips. “I don’t think the way you’re interested in me is a good thing at all.”

The other only laughs lightly. “Depends on how you look at it.”

Kakashi is too busy trying to decipher Konan’s meaning to realize the car has come to a stop. He blinks as he looks at the building through the car window, and slowly narrows his eyes.

“Isn’t it biiiiiig?” Konan shouts, impressed, as they get out of the car. “Akatsuki must’ve used this place for important stuff way back then, huh?”

Kakashi doesn’t respond back, still staring intently at the building in front of him.

It’s huge, alright. And entirely white in color that has faded with time into a dirty grey. There are vines draping all over the walls, giving it an ominous look, like something out of a horror movie.

But that’s not what Kakashi is feeling unsettled about.

He silently follows Konan through the door into the weaving corridors, almost arranged like a maze, his hands shaking the whole way. The other crooks an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t say anything due to Kakashi’s lack of response.

Finally, they arrive at a humongous room, blank and almost barren.

“The weapons are in the next room,” Konan is saying, but Kakashi doesn’t hear a thing.

He keeps staring at that one spot at the wall, two poles in front of it a few distances away from each other, a perfect size for a human to be handcuffed between them.

Perfect… for _him…_

_“Stupid.” Another kick. “You’re so stupid.” Another groan, blood sputtering out. “You think you’re smart? You think you can take us on?”_

_“Stop it!” Kakashi shouts, watching them. “Stop hitting him, stop―”_

_“Kakashi, shut up!” his father hisses, coughing out blood as the one standing before him pauses and turns to Kakashi. “Oh god, no, please don’t―”_

_“Kakashi, is it?” the man says. He looks to be someone in his fifties, long-haired and neatly dressed in an expensive suit aside from the marring of blood on his shoe―Kakashi’s father’s blood._

_“No, please—He’s just a child, please… Hurt me all you want, kill me, but please leave him alone, I beg you—”_

_“Why should I? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me? Always getting in my way. You think the police is everything? Well, I’m here to prove to you that it’s not, as you kneel on the floor and beg for my mercy!”_

_“Yes, I’m sorry, you can take my life as punishment, but please, don’t harm him. Kakashi is just a child, he’s innocent, he’s—”_

_“A child, but… a very beautiful child,” the old man drawls, licking his lips. “You reap what you sow, Hatake Sakumo. Always getting in our way… Always underestimating Akatsuki. Look, I’ve even invited our dear friends from Kiri no Nanaken to show you… Justice will never win!”_

_“I know, I’m sor—”_

_“Dad, stop! Why are you surrendering to him?” Kakashi shouts. “They’re just measly old gangsters, there’s no way they can win against the police—”_

_“Kakashi, shut up!” his dad screams back, locking nervous eyes at him then looking up at the old man. “Please don’t mind him, he’s just a stupid little kid. Please, please let him go. You can torture me, kill me, whatever you want, but please—”_

_“This kid has spunk, I like him,” the old man says, walking towards Kakashi, making both him and his father stare with panicked eyes. Slowly, the old man crouches down and leers at him. “What a pretty little bitch.”_

_“You—”_

_“Say, what do you think will be more marvelous,” the old man cuts Kakashi easily, voice nonchalant with a delighted tilt. “A father watching his own son get raped by numerous men right before him, or… a son watching his father’s brains being blown to bits and splattering all over the floor in front of his eyes?”_

_Kakashi chokes on a sob, his entire body freezing due to pure fear._

_“What do you think, son?” the old man asks, glancing at a boy standing not far away, hair blond and face carefully blank._

_The face of Namikaze Minato._

_Minato…_ Kakashi gasps, blinking back to reality as tears fall down onto the floor. Minato wasn’t just an Uchiha. He was the very son of Akatsuki’s old boss.

 _Minato was there_ , Kakashi thinks hazily, _and he was the son of Uchiha Madara, who was also the father of Obito._

Which means Minato and Obito are _brothers_.

☩

“You took him to Kamui?!”

Konan takes a step back, startled at the outburst. “Is that what it’s called? I’m sorry, I didn’t know… I thought it was just an abandoned warehouse…”

Obito sighs, running fingers through his hair. “It is… because I chose to abandon it.”

“Is it… because it has something to do with Kakashi?”

Obito narrows his eyes at her. “What exactly happened to him?”

“He was… I don’t know. He started acting weird since we’d first arrived, but when we reached this huge room at the center… He started breaking down―it was like he couldn’t hear whatever I was saying. There were tears in his eyes…” Konan makes a pitying face. “He seemed… pretty traumatized.”

Obito keeps silence, and Konan wonders, not for the first time, what exactly is the connection between her boss and the newbie. Surely, it’s more than simply meet the eyes, right?

That would explain why Obito seemed so taken with Kakashi in such a short amount of time.

“You’re dismissed,” Obito says tonelessly, shocking Konan.

“Boss, I’m sorry―”

“You’re dismissed,” Obito repeats, voice frightening cold, and Konan clenches her fists, bowing, before walking out the room.

Inside, Obito leans back heavily against his seat, sighing, before walking to a hidden safe embedded inside the wall.

There’s a box inside, and he slides two fingers through the chains, taking the necklace out.

The silver dolphin with a small pearl the shape of a ball attached to the end of its tail is still gleaming vividly, and Obito gives a bitter smile.

“Hey, Kakashi… Will you finally remember the promise you made with me now?”

☩

_There’s something important I’d like to discuss with you. Can we meet later? If you can get into my old apartment beforehand, I can make an excuse saying I’d like to get some of my old stuff that are still there. No matter who follows me, as long as I refuse to let them inside, we can talk at our leisure._

It isn’t even half an hour later when Kakashi gets a reply back.

_Sure, I’ll be heading to your apartment now. You can arrive an hour later._

Sucking in a breath, he calls for Kisame.

☩

It’s honestly a little too easy to pretend to be all shy and not wanting Kisame to see him browse through his more intimate clothings, and the other man has agreed to patiently wait outside.

Steeling himself, Kakashi walks inside the apartment and finds who he’s looking for inside his bedroom.

“I hope you don’t mind me intruding your former bedroom,” the other is saying as he lounges on a chair, “but it’s simply the furthest room away from the entrance that isn't your bathroom.”

Kakashi shrugs, settling down onto the bed. “You were the one who provided me with this apartment, so it’s technically yours.”

The other smiles. “What would you like to talk about?”

“A lot of things, actually. Me, for example. Or _you_.”

“I’m not sure I follow what you’re saying, Kakashi.”

“You don’t?” Kakashi asks, glancing up at him. “The CID’s Chief Superintendent Namikaze Minato, or should I say… Son of Akatsuki’s former boss, _Uchiha_ Minato.”

Minato is still smiling, but the corners of his lips are strained. “Ah, is that so?”

“Cut the amiable act when you’ve known everything this whole time. _Everything_.”

Minato hums. “So I’m guessing you’ve remembered.”

“So you admitted it?” Kakashi growls. “You knew about me, didn’t you? There was a reason you sent me of all people to infiltrate Akatsuki, wasn’t there?”

Minato nods nonchalantly. “It could only be you.”

“‘Only be me’? Why _me_?”

“Because of Obito.”

Kakashi’s breath hitches.

“Didn’t you think it was strange? How Obito just seemed so fond of you from literally out of nowhere? How _special_ he has been treating you?”

“So it was true what Zabuza said… Obito had known me from before, too…” Kakashi mumbles to himself.

Minato barks out a laugh. “Zabuza told you that? Ever the busybody, I see. He should take care of his own group first―oh wait, does he even have a group anymore after messing with Obito’s _precious favorite_?”

“Don’t change the topic!” Kakashi snaps. “You were there… You were fucking _there_ that day, seven years ago! You _watched_ my dad and I get―get―”

There’s a brief moment where Minato’s eyes soften, but it’s gone as soon as he blinks. “I was there,” he confirms. “But…” He narrows his eyes at Kakashi, scrutinizing him. “It appears that not _all_ of your memory is back yet, right?”

“What does it matter?!”

“Oh, it matters. There’s a lot of things you haven’t remembered.”

“What I remembered is you probably having a hand in my dad’s death!”

“Is that what you think? Then you truly have yet to remember everything.”

Kakashi purses his lips, glaring at him. “Stop speaking in cryptic terms! Do you understand the position you’re in, right now?”

“Do I?” Minato murmurs, and there’s a flash of movement before his right arm is brought up, something metallic and silver inside his hand.

It’s too bad Kakashi is faster.

With one quick, precise aim, Kakashi shoots dead-center at the gun, making it fly out of Minato’s hand. Immediately, Kakashi dashes over and swings a leg at the back of the other’s knee, knocking him face-first down to the ground. Before Minato can regain his balance, Kakashi grips onto both of the other’s hands, wrenching them back and hearing a satisfying crack of bones. He wastes no time in tying Minato’s hands behind his back with the rope he’s hidden inside his pocket.

“Did you forget I ranked first in your pathetic little police academy?” Kakashi hisses, moving down to tie Minato’s legs together, too.

“Kakashi, wait, there’s been a misunder―” Minato is rendered unable to speak any longer when Kakashi ties a gag over his mouth.

“How is there a _misunderstanding_ when you were fucking there?” Kakashi snarls. “You probably had a _blast_ watching my dad and me get tortured, huh?”

“Mmph, mmph!”

“Sorry, but who knows if you’d scream and catch Kisame’s attention if I didn’t do this. Speaking of which, don’t you think my new gun looks nice?” Kakashi brings up the gun he used to shoot earlier. “It’s a silencer, so no sounds. I guess being Obito’s ‘ _precious favorite_ ’ has its own perks after all, huh?” Kakashi drawls sarcastically. “In fact, if I were to shoot and kill you right now, _no one_ would know.” He emphasizes it by placing the muzzle right at Minato’s chest.

Minato widens his eyes in alarm.

Kakashi keeps still for a moment before letting his arm fall. “But I won’t do that, because I’ll turn you to the police. Not now, though. Now, I have some things I need to do. If I’m still alive after tomorrow, I’ll shove you into the police station myself.”

Minato shakes his head wildly, muffled sounds coming out of him.

“I have to keep you here, because who knows if you’re going to tattle to Obito about my every move if I don’t. So I guess it turns out the spy in the police force is you, huh?”

Minato’s eyes widen, seemingly shocked.

“I told you to stop the act,” Kakashi says, scowling. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he starts to get up. “I should go now. Kisame’s probably wondering what’s been taking me so long. See you, superior.”

With that, he walks out of the room, leaving Minato to stare frenziedly at his back.

☩

Kakashi is inside the car, intending to close his eyes for a moment as Kisame drives him home, when his phone beeps.

He gapes in shock, his hands shaking as he reads over the message, confirming that this isn’t a figment of his imagination.

“Kisame, Kisame! Turn the car around!”

“Huh?”

“It’s Yahiko!” Kakashi says, his lips split into a grin. “He’s woken up!”

☩

Kakashi practically sprints through the hospital, not caring about all the glares he’s receiving as he whooshes through the corridors, Kisame trailing behind and watching him with an amused look on his face.

Nagato is already there sitting at the chair, but Kakashi doesn’t even notice as he sees Yahiko in the flesh, sitting on his bed, wide _awake_ and talking animatedly.

“ _Yahiko…!_ ” Kakashi breathes, tears already prickling his eyes.

Yahiko looks up and the smile he gives him is so bright, so _Yahiko_ it hurts. “Oh, hey Kakashi!”

Kakashi dashes to the other man, intending to pull him into a hug when he notices all the bandages wrapped around him. “Oh, are these…”

“They’re just being overly careful,” Yahiko waves him off. “Most of my external injuries have already healed while I was asleep, haha.”

“That’s not a laughing matter,” Nagato chastises, frowning. “As usual, you have terrible reactions and inappropriate timings.”

“Oh shush, I literally just woke up! Give me a break!” Yahiko glares at the red-haired man.

Nagato sighs exasperatedly. “Whatever. I’ll leave you two to do your little heartfilled-crying thing. I’ll be outside waiting with Kisame if you need anything.”

“As if you didn’t cry when I first woke up, I saw you!” Yahiko sticks his tongue out at the other man who simply sighs again before walking out.

Kakashi watches their exchange with an amused smile on his face. “So that’s how you and Nagato are like.”

Yahiko clears his throat, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, we… We bicker a lot, haha.”

“You guys seem close, I’m happy for you. And I’m… I’m so, so happy that you woke up…” Kakashi trails off, sniffling.

“Oh my god, don’t cry!” Yahiko groans, awkwardly patting Kakashi on the head. “You realize my last memory before I went into a coma was your crying face, right?”

Kakashi narrows his eyes. “Yeah, because you were _bleeding on the floor_ and halfway into death’s door.”

“But I’m okay now!” Yahiko spreads his arms out to emphasize. “Just a bit of rest and I should be fine! I told you, I’ve been through worse than this.”

“Yeah, I guess you have…” Kakashi says, smiling as he wipes away his tears.

“I’m okay, but… Hmn…” Yahiko peers into Kakashi’s eyes, inspecting him. “Are _you_ okay? How have you been?”

At this, Kakashi winces. “It’s… It’s a long, long story.”

“Well, I have all the time in the world for my favorite little bro, so come on. Pour out all your troubles!”

So Kakashi does.

☩

It takes almost an hour for Kakashi to tell Yahiko everything. As in absolutely _everything_.

Yahiko is probably the only person Kakashi trusts without a doubt right now.

After he’s done, Yahiko keeps on humming as he taps a finger to his chin. “So… as expected, Minato, is the spy.”

“Yeah.”

“And you’ve tied him up at your old apartment? Nice job on that!” Yahiko laughs, punching him in the shoulder.

Kakashi laughs back. “What was I supposed to do? Who knows if he’s sending secret information to Obito again?”

“Mnn…” Yahiko spends some more time thinking before turning to Kakashi. “So what are you going to do now? You told him you’re going to be busy tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I…” Kakashi gnaws on his lip before continuing. “I plan to go back to that place… where my dad and I were taken to, seven years ago, again. It seems that being in that place helps trigger my memories of what happened, so…”

“Is that safe? Obito would know something is up if he doesn’t hear back from Minato, right? And Konan saw your little… _episode_ , so she probably has reported that to Obito, too.”

Kakashi shrugs. “It’s probably not, but… I _need_ to go there. I _need_ to know exactly what happened in the past―everything of it. I’m so tired of being forever lost and confused, stranded in the dark.”

“I understand how you feel, but… I guess I’m just afraid it might be dangerous…”

“Then that’s just a gamble I’ll have to take,” Kakashi states, eyes determined.

Getting his memories fully back is his top priority right now.

☩

Kakashi doesn’t get back home until it starts getting dark. He and Yahiko simply had too much catching up to do. He’s sure Obito―and to an extent, Nagato―will understand, though. After all, everyone knows how close he is with Yahiko.

He finds Obito in their bedroom, fiddling with his phone. Immediately, he dives down and wraps his arms around the other’s neck, burying his face into Obito’s chest.

“Hey,” Obito murmurs from above, stroking through his hair gently. “I heard you went to the hospital to visit Yahiko.”

“Yeah. I’m so unbelievably happy right now, you don’t even know,” Kakashi tells him happily.

Obito chuckles. “I’m glad. Yahiko is a pivotal member of Akatsuki, and I’m glad he pulled through, too.”

“Mnn-hmn,” Kakashi mumbles, breathing in deeply. He can smell the scent of fresh soap―Obito probably took a shower not too long ago―and the intrinsic musky scent that he knows is purely _Obito_ ’s. Slowly, he slithers up until he’s face-to-face with the other and connects their lips together.

When he pulls back from the kiss, Obito is smiling gently at him as his fingers smooth circles on Kakashi’s hips, and Kakashi drops forward to rest his forehead against the other’s.

“Obito.”

“Hmn?”

“You love me, right?”

“I do.”

“No matter what?”

“Huh?”

“I meant,” Kakashi says, gazing into the other’s eyes, “do you love me no matter what happens? No matter what’ll become to either of us?”

Obito tilts his head. “Did you take some lessons from Nagato? That guy is so ridiculously cynical, I don’t know how Yahiko handles him, to be honest.”

“Obito,” Kakashi whines, “answer the question!”

“Haha, alright,” Obito acquiesces, chuckling. “I’ll love you no matter what happens. That, I’m sure of.”

“Really?” Kakashi asks, staring intently into Obito’s eyes, but the latter’s gaze is unflinching.

“Really.” Obito leans forward and gives him a quick peck before asking, “What about _you_?”

“Me?”

Obito nods. “Would you love me no matter what happens? In the past, the present, or the future?”

Kakashi takes a deep breath, closing his eyes before slowly fluttering them open. “You’re the first person I’ve ever loved,” he confesses. “I don’t think… I don’t think I’ll ever know what it’s like to _not_ be in love with you, because I don’t know any other way than to love you.”

Obito simply smiles as he pulls Kakashi into a kiss again, this time more heated as he slowly leans forward and lowers Kakashi onto the bed.

Tomorrow, Kakashi will find out the _truth_. Tomorrow, everything might _end_.

But for tonight, for _right now_ , he is inside Obito’s arms.

And everything is _perfect_.

☩

Neither Obito nor Kisame is there when Kakashi wakes up in the morning.

He asks one of the drivers to take him to the place—it’s where the weapons are kept because of Konan, so there shouldn’t be anything suspicious about it, even if someone is following him.

Although… he’s not sure if he cares, at this point.

The building looks as ominous and dreadful as it did the last time, and Kakashi clenches his fist and walks in.

It’s harder to navigate around without Konan here. The place is really built like a maze, and Kakashi guesses it’s to make it harder to escape for unknowing victims.

Like him and his father, once. _Although I guess we never did manage to escape_ , Kakashi reflects sourly.

He must’ve taken a wrong turn, for he ends up in another room, smaller, but with various diagrams and posters on the wall.

There’s a list of schedules and shift changes, and another list of events. Something in particular catches his interest: a flyer titled “Uchiha Minato’s Inauguration Day” typed in bold at the top. He scans the paper, supposedly the day when Minato was to take over Akatsuki, and a name written in fine-print halts his gaze.

Uchiha—

Too engrossed in reading the flier, he’s late in noticing another person at the door, and by the time he can whip out his gun, the other person is already shooting a bullet straight into his arm, making the gun drop out of Kakashi’s grasp as he collapses onto his knees in pain.

“That never did end up happening,” the other person says, walking in and revealing his face.

“I—Itachi,” Kakashi wheezes, his left hand scrambling for the gun while his right hangs limply, blood dripping down from the wound.

“Minato ran away—he couldn’t do it. We always knew his heart was too weak for it,” Itachi continues, dropping down onto a chair and glancing at Kakashi with a bored face. “Don’t kill me just yet. Aren’t there things you want to know?”

“Fuck. _Fuck!_ You were in on this, too?!”

“‘Too’?” Itachi asks, tilting his head. “Oh. Did you perhaps think Minato was the spy? I guess it makes sense, he was in Akatsuki and the old boss’ son, after all.” He pauses. “Hmn… Did you tell him that? I guess this means he’s figured out by now that I’ve been playing him all along.”

Kakashi stares incredulously as the other man starts to laugh lightly. “Who exactly _are_ you?”

Itachi gazes at him, calm. “I’m Itachi. No last name—well that was until that old man made me take his last name. So hey, Hatake Kakashi, I’m Uchiha Itachi, brother of Obito and Minato.”

Kakashi widens his eyes.

“Did you expect that? I guess you didn’t. After all, my records weren’t shown anywhere. I was never a member of the Elite. Well, at least, not _officially_. Even Minato doesn’t know this, and he’s been with me since we were kids, can you believe?”

“What?”

“That’s right. We were both adopted, but he really saw me as his little brother,” Itachi says with a chuckle. “When he wanted to escape from this mafia life, he asked me to come with him. ‘Let’s start a new life, I’ll take care of you’. Isn’t that so sweet?”

Abruptly, Kakashi has flashbacks to what Obito told him a few days ago.

“I was going to turn him down,” Itachi continues, “He was boring, I never saw him as a brother. but…” He licks his lips. “Obito asked me to.”

Kakashi purses his lips. “So you followed Minato and joined the police in order to spy on him?”

Itachi nods. “And to relay back information to make it easier for Akatsuki to sneak around the police. Akatsuki _thrived_ because of me—because I would always give out false information on their next moves and divert the attention away. Akatsuki wouldn’t have gotten this big without me. _Obito_ wouldn’t have gotten this big without me.”

Kakashi glances at Itachi carefully. “You’re…”

Suddenly, Itachi drops down to the ground and closes his fingers around Kakashi’s bleeding arm, wringing more blood out of his wound.

Itachi glares at him as Kakashi grunts in pain, fingers clenching around the gun but the latter doesn’t make a move, knowing the other has more to say.

“I was fine, you know,” Itachi tells him. “I knew the type of person Obito is—he doesn’t do attachments. He doesn’t do _love_. I’m not sure if he even _knows_ what that is. I was content with being useful to him. I was content with being his _right-hand man_. I was content with the fact that I’ve known Obito the longest, that he was the closest to me, that _I_ was the closest to _him_ —” His grip tightens on Kakashi’s arm again as he hisses, “That is, until _you_.”

Kakashi’s vision is blurring due to the loss of blood, but—Obito—Itachi is talking about _Obito_ , and he needs to know—

“At first, I thought it was peripheral. After all, he’d always been like this—fucking around with _sluts_ that were far beneath him. I was _okay_ with it. When he first showed interest in you, I thought he’d get bored in a week or two. It had always been like that—”

“So what,” Kakashi says breathily, managing a small smirk, “you’re jealous? Because Obito likes me more than you now? Because he has never liked you the way he likes _me_?”

“You don’t _deserve_ him!” Itachi growls, his other hand wrapping around Kakashi’s left wrist and twisting it with a snap. The man might be smaller than Kakashi, but he has _techniques_ , and Kakashi’s left wrist breaks with a cracking sound as he gasps in pain and the gun drops from his fingers. “It’s been over three months now, how is he still so interested in you? You don’t even know anything about him!”

He doesn’t have time to contemplate, as Itachi keeps talking, voice starting to sound more hysterical with every word. “You don’t know him at all! You weren’t there when he got bullied by the older members, you weren’t there patching up his wounds and listening attentively on how he’d get revenge on them, you weren’t there when he told me his plans of taking over Akatsuki and killing the boss, that I was the _only_ one allowed to know, because I was _special_ —”

Itachi takes in a sharp breath suddenly before staring down at him, eyes ablaze with so much _menace_ and _hatred_.

“You aren’t the one who’s been there with him for _sixteen years_ ,” Itachi murmurs lowly, voice eerie. “And you aren’t going to be the one who’s going to be there with him in the future. You _can’t_. That place is reserved solely for _me_. Obito might be mad at me for this, but I’m sure he’ll forgive me, because I’m special to him, right?”

Before Kakashi has a chance to react—his right arm still limp and dripping blood as his left one is being clutched by the other man’s hand, wrist broken—Itachi already has a gun at Kakashi’s temple.

“There’s no place for you by Obito’s side, because that is _my_ place,” Itachi says, voice soft. “So you have to die, I’m sorry.”

The room shakes as the trigger is pulled and a gunshot resounds, echoing horrifyingly off the walls. 

Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut as he hears the shot, bracing himself for the pain…

That never comes.

His eyes flutter open slowly to find Itachi in front of him, hunched over as he has a palm pressed tight on his stomach, and it’s…

Splotchy with _blood_.

“What are you doing here?” Itachi growls, turning to the direction of the door, and Kakashi follows suit.

“Yahiko… ” Kakashi croaks out, staring disbelievingly at the man by the door, grinning crookedly.

“Hey,” the other says, walking towards Kakashi. “I knew you were gonna get into trouble going here alone, and see, I knew it!”

Kakashi doesn’t have time to feel gratitude, for a gunshot startles both of them, breaking one of the frames on the wall. They snap their heads back to see Itachi by the door, breathing heavily as he points a gun at them.

“Itachi…” Yahiko mutters sadly. “I can’t believe you were the spy all along…”

The other man laughs breathlessly. “And to think you’ve been relying on me all this time to help you find… _me_. Isn’t that ironic?”

“Why are you doing this? Itachi, this isn’t right.”

“I don’t care about what’s right or wrong,” Itachi answers firmly. “All I care about is what Obito wants.”

Yahiko's lips just pull down more, obviously disappointed.

"Since you didn't shoot me in the head," Itachi starts, backing away with one hand on his bleeding stomach and the other still pointing the gun at them, "we'll call this even. Kakashi," he calls out, making Kakashi narrows his eyes at him, "if you think this is over and you're going to get your happily ever after with Obito, then you are terribly wrong."

"You're not the one who decides that," he replies.

Itachi laughs again, a low, gloating sound. "No, but I _know_. I was there, you know."

"What?"

"That day. I was right behind you. I was the one holding you back as you struggled against your handcuffs, screaming your lungs out with so much hatred in your tears-drenched eyes."

Kakashi widens his eyes, a peripheral image flickering in his vision of Itachi's face, grunting and holding him down. Is this… Is this why he thought the other man looked familiar when they first met…?

"You―"

"You'll know, soon," Itachi says cryptically before dashing away.

"Wai―" Kakashi calls, struggling to get up by bracing himself on his hands before falling down, forgetting how useless both of his hands are right now.

Yahiko sighs heavily behind him. "We can go after him later. Right now, we should head back and treat your injuries."

Kakashi shakes his head vehemently. "No! I've gotten so far! Who knows if Itachi will report to Obito about this afterward! I might not get another chance to check out this place again. I need to get my memories back, I need to know what happened―"

Yahiko stares at him, dropping concerned eyes down to his bleeding arm and the broken wrist, before sighing again. "Alright. But I'm coming with you."

"Yahiko, this doesn't have anything to do with you. You'll only get into more trouble―"

"Did you hear what Itachi said? The entirety of Akatsuki is fucked up! If he's been reporting to Obito all along, this means they know _I'm_ an undercover, too! This means _Nagato_ might also―" Yahiko stops suddenly, exhaling, before continuing. "Anyways, I can't trust you to go alone with those injuries. Can you even use your gun right now?"

Kakashi purses his lips.

"Let's just go and get this over with, okay? There's something I want to check out at this place, too."

Kakashi lets Yahiko heave him up before conceding, and they walk out of the room.

☩

"This place is a damn maze," Yahiko mutters as they aimlessly walk through the never-ending corridors.

"Yeah. I wish I had paid more attention the last time I was here…"

"You wish _I_ was here, guiding you, right?" a voice says out of nowhere, and Kakashi turns back in shock to find Konan standing behind them with a grin on her face.

"Konan…"

"Well, damn. I knew there was something special about you, Kakashi. Turns out you're a cop, huh?"

"How long have you been following us?" Kakashi asks, narrowing his eyes.

Konan shrugs. "Awhile. You must've known, right? After all, Obito wouldn't let you an inch out of his sight unless Kisame or I am following you. Especially not after what happened with Kiri no Nanaken."

"I do, but… You didn't show yourself, so I actually didn't think you were. I mean, you've done a pretty bad job of protecting me if so."

"But Yahiko was there," the other points out. "He got in a few minutes after you, and I was curious. I wanted to let it all play out to find out what's really been going on. And look. What. I've. Found~" Konan singsongs, lips curling in a playful smirk.

"Wow, I didn't think you were ever going to acknowledge my existence, Konan," Yahiko jokes, and Kakashi wants to chastise him for joking at a time like this, but Konan is already speaking next.

"Sorry, you're not exactly in my radar, you know?" She grins cheerfully at Yahiko.

"So what are you going to do?" Kakashi interrupts, scowling.

"Hmn? I don't know~ I guess I should take both of you to the Metal? Or maybe just Yahiko. I want to have a bit of… _fun_ , with you first, Kakashi."

"I feel so left out!" Yahiko gasps mockingly, and Kakashi is about to hit him upside the head for still cracking such nonsense like this, when he continues, " _So_ left out and sad that you'd underestimate me so much, Konan."

Before Kakashi can even blink, Yahiko is already chucking something at Konan. Instantly, he pulls Kakashi back with his other hand and crashes them both down onto the floor, ducking just in time as an explosion goes off, so strong it tears the walls down, crumbling.

" _Fuck_ ," Kakashi wheezes, coughing as smoke fills his lungs. "Yahiko, _holy shit_ ―"

"Gotta learn from the last time," Yahiko replies, coughing and laughing at the same time. He hastily gets up and sprints forward before the smoke can clear, and stomps a shoe down hard on Konan's arm, knocking her gun away as the latter scrambles to get up, clothes tattered and revealing lacerated patches of skin.

Kakashi quickly stabilizes himself before limping over, too, to find Yahiko has a gun right on Konan's temple as the other hunches over on the floor, an arm crushed beneath Yahiko's foot.

"Since when were you this brutal, Yahiko?" Konan asks, voice hoarse but is still smirking cockily up at him. "I guess Nagato has taught you something useful other than that nonsensical thing called 'love', after all."

Yahiko growls and digs the muzzle deeper into her skin. "As if you're not batshit insane about Obito, yourself."

Konan lets out a hollow laugh that makes Kakashi wince. "And look where that got me. He's been playing me all along. He's been playing that fucking supposed right-hand man of his, too. And he's also playing _you_ ," Konan lifts her gaze up to Kakashi, who shifts uncomfortably. "He does this thing where he makes you feel like you're the only one in the world. That you're the only one who _matters_. That―That you're worth _saving_."

"Konan…"

"I didn't really even exist before him," Konan says, voice breaking. "He was the one who had found me. He was the one who took me in. He was the one who gave me a place to call _home_. Someone to live my life for. But he's―I never mattered to him, all along."

Kakashi bites on his lip, gazing forlornly as the woman cracks in front of him. He thinks he can understand how Konan is feeling, because he's in the same place.

He honestly doesn't know what Obito wants with him, and if… if he is worth it, to Obito.

Worth to keep. Worth to _love_.

Obito has said he loves Kakashi, countless times, but… can Kakashi even believe in all that, right now?

"This is all very sad," Yahiko comments dryly, breaking the moment. "But you're still _Konan_ , the second-best killer of Akatsuki with thousands of crimes under your hand. If I leave you alive here, who knows if you'll cause trouble for us later."

"Yahiko, wait―" Kakashi tries to say.

"No waiting. This woman is dangerous, Kakashi. Letting her live will do us more harm than good in the future. She's psychopathic with the ability to kill anyone in the blink of an eye. It's safer to just kill her now while she's down."

Kakashi widens his eyes as Yahiko cocks the gun, finger on the trigger. Everything feels like it's happening in slow-motion as he sees Konan closing her eyes, resigned―as Kakashi runs towards them, adrenaline helping to lift his bleeding arm up and push it in the way, and then―

The gun goes off.

When the ear-piercing sound subsides and the small cloud of smoke clears, Yahiko gapes in shock at what's in front of his eyes. "What the fuck did you _do_?! Are you crazy―"

"K―Kakashi…" Konan stutters, face going pale as she sees her head is still intact, with Kakashi's arm dripping even _more_ blood downward, pooling onto Konan's thighs. "Why―Why did you―"

"I don't want anyone to die," Kakashi chokes out, arm falling limply and his vision is legit going hazy, swirling in front of his eyes. "I don't want you to be a murderer, Yahiko, and Konan… should be taken to jail, not… not like _this_."

"Fuck, Kakashi, do you want to become disabled in that arm?" Yahiko shouts as he inspects Kakashi's disfigured arm. "It's your right arm, you know. If you lose too much blood or too many nerves are damaged, you might not be able to lift a _spoon_ up anymore, let alone a gun!"

Kakashi simply laughs breathlessly. "Well, I thought… already had a bullet in there. What's the harm in adding another one?"

"How could you be so _stupid_?!" Yahiko screams at him. "Shit shit shit," he mutters, frantically tearing off a part of his shirt for makeshift bandages.

"I just…" Kakashi glances at Konan, who's still sitting on the floor, numbed, "I… I understand how she feels, and I just couldn't let her die… It didn't feel _right_ …"

Konan drops her head, keeping silent.

Kakashi looks back to see Yahiko struggling to tighten the fabric over his wounds to stop the bloodflow, which is only half-way effective.

"This is why I keep saying," Yahiko keeps mumbling as he tears off another part of his shirt, "you're not fit for this job. For this _world_. You didn't want me to be a murderer? I've already _been_ a murderer! You stupid boy!"

Kakashi simply tries to smile at him as sweat drips down his temples, struggling to stay coherent. "Isn't this… like last time? Except we switched roles…"

Yahiko spares a glare at him, but he can't help but smile back, too. "Yeah. Now I'm the one patching you up. You better not die on me, okay? Not when I didn't die on _you_."

Kakashi nods, head lolling onto the other's shoulder as he breathes shallowly. Neither of them notices Konan watching them by the side quietly, the way Yahiko is so concentrated on securing the bandages tightly around Kakashi's arm as the other drifts in and out of consciousness.

When Yahiko is finally finishing up, he brings two pills to Kakashi's lips and have him swallow them down, dry. "I've come prepared, this time."

Kakashi smiles tiredly at him, pulling his feet together as the other helps him stand up and blinking the drowsiness away from his eyes.

"This…" Konan says suddenly in a quiet voice. "This is the map… If you follow the direction, you'll get back to the room we were at before, which is where I'm guessing you were trying to go."

Kakashi stares down to see a messily drawn map on the floor, in… "Did you use your _blood_ to draw that?" Kakashi asks in disbelief at the cut on one of Konan's index finger and the knife nearby, tip gleaming crimson.

"Well, the blood you spilled on me earlier dried up too fast," Konan replies, cracking a smile at him.

Kakashi continues to gape at her. "But―Why―"

"I think," Konan says nonchalantly, ignoring his question, "I think I'm starting to see what it is about you… That draws everyone in. That draws _Obito_ in. Yahiko is right, you don't belong here. And I hope… after everything is over and you got what you came here for… I hope you'll leave, Kakashi. Obito won't bring you anything but suffering. Trust me, I've been there."

Kakashi gazes at her, face wilted. "I fear I'm far too deep, entrenched in this mess, but thanks for the advice, and the directions."

Kakashi takes one last look at the map, engraving it into his memory, before walking away, Yahiko following after him.

Maybe Konan isn't as bad of a person as he had thought. Maybe she had just been misguided, lost and abandoned and had placed her faith and devotion on the first person who had shown her care.

Who had happened to be _Obito_.

And maybe Kakashi is like Konan, too.

☩

"You okay?" Yahiko asks worriedly at Kakashi who's staggering after him.

"Yeah… I mean, at least my legs weren't hurt, so I can still walk? Haha."

"But your arms…"

Kakashi shrugs, wincing at the way his shoulder throbs from the act. "Could be worse."

"Well, at least, if the direction Konan gave us is correct, the room we're looking for should be around the corner, after this turn―" Yahiko pauses suddenly and squeezes his eyes shut.

Kakashi stills, because he can feel it, too. The aura of someone… Someone _intimidating_ … Someone Kakashi is still scared of, even now…

"Yahiko," Nagato says, standing tall at the end of the corridor before the turn. There's a window behind him, the light pouring in, casting a shadow overhead and making his face enshrouded in darkness as a result.

"What are you doing here?" Yahiko asks, and Kakashi notices the crack in his voice.

"Boss' order. If you're here, I'm guessing you got through Konan? And Itachi?"

"You know Itachi?!"

"I'm the member who's been in Akatsuki the longest," Nagato answers, shrugging. "I was there the day the old boss brought Obito in. I knew Minato too. I knew everyone."

Yahiko exhales steadily. "So you knew _me_ , too."

Nagato doesn't say anything back.

"Kakashi," Yahiko calls out, guiding Kakashi to go behind his back and past Nagato, stepping into the other corridor. "You go ahead. The room should be at the end of this next hallway."

"But―"

" _I_ will take care of Nagato. There are… _things_ I have to resolve, with him," Yahiko states firmly, and Kakashi sucks in a breath.

"Fine, but please be careful."

Yahiko gives him a brief smile. "You, too."

With that, Kakashi reluctantly walks away, and as expected, Nagato doesn't do anything to stop him, choosing to lock eyes with Yahiko instead.

Kakashi spares one last glance at them before heading down the corridor, now alone.

☩

"Why didn't you say anything?" Yahiko asks as soon as Kakashi's back disappears out of his view.

Nagato remains silent.

"You _knew_ about me, didn't you? You knew I was a _cop_ ―Itachi or even Obito had probably told you. You knew I was _using_ you. Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

Silence.

"Why did you _let_ me?" Yahiko asks, cursing his voice for cracking again.

Nagato continues to stare at him.

"Say something, god fucking damn it!"

"I knew more than that," Nagato finally answers. "I knew about you… more than that. I've known about you for nine years."

" _What?_ "

"Once," Nagato begins, voice nostalgic with a hint of regret―of _pain_ , "there was a guy who was just floating through life. He had this one thing he was good at―the innate ability to kill―and he'd been making use of it to make a living. He didn't particularly find joy in killing, but he didn't _care_ if people died by his hands, either. He just… didn't care for _anything_ , really. He was a lost soul, aimlessly living day by day with blood drenching his hands half the time and the other half filled with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless fucks at the clubs."

Yahiko gazes at him, pursing his lips.

"Then one day," he continues, "he visited a local bar and there was this young boy on the stage, playing on his guitar and singing. The boy was young―he couldn't have been any older than me at the time, really. But the way he looked so _earnest_ while singing his heart out as his fingers glided over the guitar strings… How different he looked despite them probably being the same age... That soulless guy was captivated."

Yahiko's breath hitches.

Nagato smiles ruefully at him. "That boy was _you_ , Yahiko. And I still remember… when your stage was finished, you bowed down to everyone, and when you lifted your head up… The smile you gave was _blinding_ , Yahiko. And I felt like time had stopped in place, really. God, I sound cheesy as fuck right now, but…" 

Normally, Yahiko would've laughed. But right now, he can't bring himself to―he _can't―_

"So ever since, whenever I was free, I’d stop by the club to watch you perform. It wasn’t anything as serious as love, but… It was something that helped fill that emptiness in my heart, a little. I don’t know, just… the way you looked so _carefree_ whenever you performed―how you looked so _bright_ , so happy, it… made my day a little brighter, too.”

“Nagato, I…” Yahiko stutters, struck for words.

“But then,” Nagato plunges on, clenching his fingers around his gun. “a year later, as I was getting some drugs from one of the lackeys in an alleyway, an innocent passerby happened to see our exchange… and it was… practically the splitting image of you, Yahiko, only shorter and with longer hair.”

Yahiko feels his heart stop as he stills at Nagato’s next words.

“I was shocked―it was one of the very few moments in my life where I literally couldn’t do anything but just stood there, _frozen_ , as your―your _sister_ , walked in, and saw us. And before I could react, the lackey―some no-name punk that I killed later―had already pulled the trigger, and then…” Nagato closes his eyes, pained.

Yahiko staggers back, sliding down the wall and panting roughly.

“When I didn’t see you back at the club again, I knew for sure that the girl must’ve been related to you. I… I did try looking you up, and found out you eventually decided to become a police officer. I was… happy for you, to be honest, because it seemed so _like_ you. I knew you were probably trying to avenge your sister by being a cop.”

At this, Nagato takes a step forward, standing in front of Yahiko.

“What I didn’t expect… was seeing you among the new recruits of Akatsuki… Seeing you trying to work your way up the ladder, and I instantly knew… what you were trying to do. I asked Itachi about it and he confirmed it later.”

“You―You _knew_ , yet you let me―”

“I didn’t know what exactly it was that I had wanted, at the time,” Nagato confesses. “I’m not that altruistic, really. Part of it was guilt, but… an even bigger part of it was me… just simply… wanting to get to know you better. Get _closer_ to you. To the boy whom I’d been watching silently at the local bar every week that had shined so bright.”

“Why are you telling me this?! What do you want from me?” Yahiko shouts brokenly, chest heaving as he grinds on his teeth and tries not to let the tears fall from his eyes.

“Because Kakashi came and will soon break everything. And you will eventually know this, so I thought it’d be best to tell you myself.” The other pauses, hesitating before taking another step closer. “And also, I just wanted… to see it again.”

“See what?”

“Your _smile_ ,” Nagato answers, taking in a deep breath. “That bright, happy, and proud smile you always had whenever you bowed in front of the audience after a performance. I want to see it again. I know, you had wanted to be a music major before, hadn’t you? But what happened pushed you to change course to law. I want you to follow your true passion again. I want you to go back to that kid you once were, again.”

“I think it’s a little too late for that, now,” Yahiko says tonelessly.

“I know.” One more step closer, and Nagato is now a breath away from Yahiko. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m going to ask… if everything ends, will you go back to the carefree kid you once were, before? Will you go back to music? Will you sing and play your guitar with so much passion, so much _happiness_ , in your eyes again?”

“What do you mean by… end everything…?”

“Your mission is _me_ , right?” Nagato asks as Yahiko stills. “If I _die_ , will you be able to move on? Will you finally _live_ , again?”

“Nagato, what―”

“I won’t make you do it. I don’t want you to sin anymore because of me.” Nagato laughs, an empty sound. “Isn’t it ironic? I have countless of deaths under my hands. It feels like my entire body is drenched in the blood of others, and yet… I want to _protect_ you. If someone as fucked up as me can be allowed to love―if I _deserve_ to even feel love, then… I love you. And I’d be willing to give up _everything_ , even my own life, for you.”

“Nagato, wait―” Yahiko screams as he watches the other lift a hand up and plants the muzzle right at his own temple.

“All I’ve wanted… is to see you smile like that again. At _me_ , this time,” Nagato whispers, closing his eyes and pulling the trigger as Yahiko lurches forward.

_BANG._

Yahiko can’t see anything for a moment as smoke fills the air, but there is this dull throb in his left chest, and his two hands are still gripping the gun rigidly, the muzzle pointed at himself, and he knows… He knows he succeeded.

“Oh god…” Nagato’s voice floats through, and Yahiko looks up to see the shocked expression on the other’s face as he stares down at Yahiko. “Yahiko, what did you do?”

“Learned a skill from Kakashi, haha,” he laughs weakly, but his vision is getting hazy and his legs give out, collapsing onto the ground and taking Nagato with him, since the other man is still holding him tight.

“Why did you―” Nagato croaks out, his palm coming up to press against Yahiko’s left chest in hopes of stopping the blood flow, but it won’t stop and Yahiko wants to laugh at the distraught look on his face―he’s never seen the other looking so distressed before―but he can’t find the energy in him to do it. “How could you―”

“How could I?” Yahiko repeats, wheezing as he shakes his head to clear his vision. “How could you? How could you think that you dying was what I would’ve wanted?”

“I―”

“Did you think that…” Yahiko continues, voice hoarse, “that during the two years we’ve been together, that it was all lies? That I didn’t feel anything? That I would be happy if you died?”

“But I’ve caused you so much pain,” Nagato whispers.

“I would’ve been in so much more pain if you had died!” Yahiko yells, then immediately is seized by an onslaught of coughs as he feels his lungs burning from the inside out, and―oh, fuck, what are those crimson splotches, is he coughing out blood? “I would’ve…”

“I’m sorry,” Nagato apologizes, his other hand coming up to cup at Yahiko’s chin and wiping away the blood from his lips. “I’m sorry, please don’t speak, please don’t―”

“No, I have to…” Yahiko mutters, fingers wrapping around Nagato’s wrist for something to hold on, for an anchor, as the world is spinning before his eyes. “I… I’ve been trying to tell myself that I can do it―that this is the right thing to do, that I’d be okay if I do it, but… but I can’t―”

Yahiko lets out a sob as he feels his eyes stinging.

“I told myself that when the day comes, I can handcuff you and hand you over to the police, no problem. I told myself that this is justice, that my sister would approve, but I―when you put the muzzle on your temple, I knew I couldn’t―I can’t―I can’t lose you, Nagato, I―”

“Yahiko…”

“I’ve already lost my sister, I can’t lose you too,” Yahiko chokes out brokenly. “I’ve been so focused in trying to avenge her, that I hadn’t realized, that I was starting to change. I had changed into someone so despicable, someone I can’t even recognize anymore, willing to do anything for the sake of revenge, but… But, throughout it all, you were always there for me.”

Nagato bites on his lip, looking worriedly from Yahiko’s despairing face to the wound on his chest, still flowing out with fresh blood despite how hard he tries to stop it.

“You’re the only thing I have left,” Yahiko continues, not even noticing his pain as he grasps tightly onto Nagato’s hand. “I don’t know if I can still live if you are gone. Please don’t leave me alone, Nagato, please, don’t leave me behind―”

“Shh, I understand,” Nagato soothes as more blood spurts from Yahiko’s mouth. “I won’t go anywhere. I will always be with you, for as long as you still want me. I promise.” He squeezes their hands together one last time before detaching and putting his hand behind Yahiko’s back instead, the other underneath his knees. “Listen to me, Yahiko. It’s dangerous here. I have no clue what Obito is planning, but it can’t be anything good. We’ve gotta go, do you hear me? We’ve gotta get your wound treated.”

“I―” Yahiko tries to speak, but is wrecked by another series of coughs.

Nagato sniffs, trying to hold back his own tears at how damaged Yahiko looks in his arms, blood dripping from his lips, from his chest, from absolutely everywhere, and carefully lifts him up. “Shh, don’t speak. Close your eyes. I promise you, when you wake up, we will be at some place else―some place nice, and beautiful, where it will only be just the two of us. Let’s start over, okay? I love you, Yahiko. I love you so much,” Nagato murmurs, trying to smile at the man in his hold.

Yahiko blinks blearily, nods once, and finally closes his eyes and lets his mind at rest.

He trusts Nagato to do as he said.

☩

Kakashi shudders, feeling a chill run up his veins as he looks back.

Was that… a _gunshot_?

He is _so_ close to turning around and heading back, but… Yahiko said he has something he needs to resolve with Nagato, and, well.

Kakashi feels like this isn’t something he should intrude on. Not something so _private_. Especially since it seems Nagato knows about who Yahiko is, all along.

Like Obito probably knows, with Kakashi.

Clenching his teeth and steeling himself, he walks the final few steps before standing in front of a door.

 _The_ door.

It opens with a click as Kakashi pushes forward, striding in.

“Finally. I’ve been waiting for you, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi regards the other man in the room calmly as he comes to a stop in front of him.

“Did you really get past three of my best men? As expected from the super rookie of the Criminal Investigation Division, huh?” Obito says lightly, twirling a chain around his index finger, something silvery glinting off the light from the windows behind him.

“Obito…”

“Have you finally remembered everything yet?” Obito asks, walking towards him leisurely. “Are you finally, _finally_ going to fulfill your promise towards me?”

Kakashi’s breath hitches as Obito leans in, lips brushing against his ears and murmuring, “Come on, ‘Kashi. _I’m. Waiting. For. You._ ”

Kakashi stands there, unmoving.

After a long moment, Obito pulls back. He looks like he’s about to say something more when his eyes catch onto Kakashi’s arm, liquid blood still dripping down occasionally, staining the fabric.

“Who did this?” Obito murmurs as he takes Kakashi’s palm into his and gently lifts it up, inspecting him.

“Your beloved right-hand man,” he spits out.

Obito lets out a deep chuckle. “Baby, don’t be jealous―you’re the only one I love.”

“Obito…” Kakashi growls, frustrated. He tries to swat Obito’s hand away using his other hand, forgetting that the other one is still broken, too.

“Did he do this, too?” Obito asks, shifting his gaze onto the other one. “Brace yourself, this is going to hurt,” he says, and before Kakashi has a chance to react, Obito takes Kakashi’s arm between his palms, gripping on it tight and twisting his fingers.

“Ah―!” Kakashi cries out in pain as his wrist is snapped once again. After the blinding pain, though, he finds that he can tentatively move his fingers, now.

Obito just snapped his wrist back into place.

“Sorry about that,” the other says. “I’ll be sure to make him pay for this. He should’ve known better than to hurt you.”

“I don’t give a fuck about him!” Kakashi scowls. “You―You―What are you―”

“Oh, Kakashi,” Obito sighs fondly, cupping his cheek and leaning forward, placing a soft kiss onto his trembling lips. “Do you still not remember?”

“Remember―”

“Right here in this very room,” Obito murmurs, “is where we first met.”

Where… Kakashi… had first met… Obito…?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // This chapter contains attempted rape, non-consensual touching and graphic violence (the warning!!)

The room is dark as Minato leans on the side of the bed. Kakashi didn't leave the light on, and the sun has set by now.

Alone in the almost pitch-black room, Minato starts thinking. And remembering.

Of his past.

_“Minato, from today on, this shall be your new brother.”_

_Minato looks down to see a kid. He must be no older than eight years old, but already, his eyes are dark, intense and glaring, as if he hates everyone and everything in the world._

_Minato looks back up to his father warily, a question mark clear in his expression._

_“He has_ talent _,” the man says, emphasizing on the last word. “Just a ragged kid with nothing on him but a small switchblade in a dirty alley, yet he managed to kill two men basically three times his size, all for a loaf of bread. Talent, Minato. He can be of use to Akatsuki if we cultivate him right.”_

_Minato glances down again, wondering what the kid thinks of his father speaking about him as if he’s a pet breeding project, but the kid shows no reaction._

_His tiny palms are matted with dry blood, most likely not of his own, if the story his father just told him is true._

_Crouching down, Minato tries for a smile and says, “Hello there, I’m Minato. What is your name?”_

_The kid takes awhile to answer, and his voice is shaky. “…Obito.”_

_“Last name?”_

_“…Don’t have one.”_

_Minato looks at him pitifully. “That’s alright. Itachi didn’t have one, too. From today on, you will be_ Uchiha Obito _, okay? Welcome to the family, my little brother.”_

Fast-forward…

_Minato tries not to wince as blood splatter across the wall, whoever their father just shot crumbling down to the floor._

_“You don’t look so well, brother,” Obito notes beside him, and Minato looks down at him, laughing lightly._

_“It’s… well, doesn’t it look grotesque to you? Father could’ve shot him in the chest to kill him, but he shot right at the head. Look, I can see his brain remains dripping down the wall!” Minato whispers, afraid their father will hear him._

_“Not really?” Obito shrugs, face nonchalant. “I mean, the guy refused to pay his debt, so it’s his fault. Just one shot on the head is too kind, to be honest. If it was up to me, I’d torture him first. Maybe shooting him in the wrists and ankles, so he’d be limped, bleeding out on the floor, but not yet dead. Let him suffer, you know?”_

No, I don’t know _, Minato thinks, staring disbelievingly at the boy. A few years has passed since then, and Obito is now twelve to Minato’s nineteen, but…_

_Is this the kind of things a twelve year old kid should say?_

_He continues to stare at his brother, who doesn’t notice him as he is too engrossed in watching their father move on to the next target and start bludgeoning the guy._

_Obito’s eyes are glowing, brimming with excitement and looking almost_ euphoric _as he watches the gruesome scene before him, filled with blood spatter and ghastly pleading screams of pain._

_Minato shudders, looking away._

Fast-forward…

_No matter how many times Minato has been seeing these types of scenes before, they never fail to make him nauseous._

_He’s older now, twenty three years old―he’s more numbed to these things._

_But there’s never been a child involved before._

_He calls him a child, because, well, the kid is still in school. He remembers seeing a certificate of excellency framed on the wall, celebrating achievements and for ranking first in his graduating class, with Konoha Elementary School written below back when they took him from his house, so the kid is most likely still in middle school._

_So young, and yet…_

This has been cultivating for awhile _, Minato reflects. Their father has been complaining about this cop who keeps going after Akatsuki, interrupting their every move and barging in on their every transaction, so they haven’t been able to trade their shipments for the last few months._

_Akatsuki might be small, but their leader isn’t to be taken lightly of._

_Loathe as he is to admit, Minato’s father is, well… arrogant. Reckless._

_Tyrannical._

_But there is nothing Minato can do about it._

_Uchiha Madara picked him up from the streets eighteen years ago. The man hadn’t been involved in this gang business back then. He had been so kind to Minato—or at least that had been how Minato saw him, until the man decided to form Akatsuki when Minato was ten and started doing questionable things._

_But of course Minato has never dared to question their father out loud. The man has provided him with a home and education all these years. Minato is indebted to him and he needs to pay him back—defying him is certainly no way to do it._

_Their father is currently going on a tirade, ranting about how much trouble the cop has given him, and Minato is watching boredly on the side when the kid suddenly shouts out— “They’re just measly old gangsters, there’s no way they can win against the police—”_

_Minato is impressed at the kid—Kakashi, his father calls him—but then immediately feels sorry for him, for now their father’s attention is shifted to him, and he’s…_

_Oh no._

_“What do you think, son?” their father asks him, and Minato puts on his best poker face and shrugs._

_“Either seems fine to me,” he answers, and tries his best not to look at the trembles wrecking across Kakashi’s body or the terror in his eyes._

_Minato feels sorry for the kid, but…_

_It doesn’t have anything to do with him._

_It doesn’t have anything to do with me_ , Minato recalls, repeating the words he had thought of, back then.

And wonders.

If only he had reacted in another way—if only he had _cared_ —would things have turned out differently?

Would everything be as messed up as it is now? Is it his fault? Is it Obito’s?

Is it _Kakashi_ ’s, even though the kid has been nothing but a victim in this cruel game?

 _I guess… it’s too late now to think about ‘what ifs’_ , Minato muses, laughing bitterly, and closes his eyes.

☩

_SEVEN YEARS AGO,_

Boring.

Boring boring boring.

 _This is so damn boring_ , Obito thinks, rolling his eyes at the scene. Another day, another instant of their father trying to assert his power by tormenting people with less power than him. If Obito is to be perfectly truthful, their father―Madara―is _stupid_. He does everything by brute force, and doesn’t know how to use his brains at all. Akatsuki is going to get taken over at this rate by someone more intelligent, more cunning, more _capable_.

Someone like, for example, _Obito_ himself.

So lost in his thoughts, he only jolts back to reality when a voice shouts out, distinctly more high-pitched than the other low voices, the owner clearly a teenager whose voice hasn’t broken yet.

“Dad, stop! Why are you surrendering to him?” the kid shouts. “They’re just measly old gangsters, there’s no way they can win against the police—”

Obito blinks, lifting his head up and watching the scene for the first time since he’s stepped inside. The kid looks young and scrawny, maybe about fifteen or sixteen, so small, yet…

His _eyes_. They hold so much _strength_ —so rebellious, so unwavering—

So much absolute _hatred_ , as he glares at all the men two, three times his size, with unshed tears that make the orbs shine even in the dim light of the room.

Those eyes, they remind Obito of himself.

His view of the kid is suddenly covered as Madara crouches in front of him, examining him. The kid is obviously scared by the tremblings wrecking through his body, but his eyes—

They never _falter_. His lips—they never part to form words of begging for mercy. His body, though quivering, isn’t bent on the floor to kneel and submit.

The kid is _unshakable_ , no matter the danger in front of him. Even his father has resorted to begging Madara, but his son…

The kid is currently screaming as Madara tells his men to take off his clothes and “have some fun” with him, and honestly, it’s a pretty disgusting scene—all these burly, muscular men struggling to rip off the clothes of a skinny kid who is handcuffed to the poles near the wall, obviously powerless.

“No, stop! I’ll kill you. I’ll kill all of you. Don’t touch me―” the kid screams, hiccupping desperately as he tries to no avail at slapping all the hands away from his body, and his shirt starts ripping with a shrill sound.

Obito tilts his head, eyes taking in the vast expanse of pale, white skin, so unblemished, so untainted, so―

― _pure_.

It’s when the hands start working on his pants, yanking off his belt, that Obito, looking dazed and almost possessed, calls out, “Stop.”

Everyone turns to look at him, even Madara, for Obito usually never is an active participant in these outings, choosing to stay on the sidelines and watching quietly like Minato.

“Father,” he says slowly, shifting his gaze to Madara, “I’m almost seventeen now, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” the old man answers, curious.

“Then… Don’t you think it’s time you let me try to handle an ‘assignment’? I gotta have practice to be as adept as you, right?”

Madara barks out a pleased laugh instantly, and Obito smirks internally. It’s so _easy_ ―the man is so goddamn stupid, he preens for any sort of praise, so easily swayed as long as he thinks he has control, power, respect.

When the truth is, he has none of them. Not _anymore_ , as Obito’s been recruiting all the important members to his side, instead.

“So you’re saying, you want to try your hands at these guys?”

“Yeah. May I?”

Madara shrugs. “Alright, go ahead. I still have other business I need to attend to today, anyways. You may report back to me when you’re done.”

With that, the other turns to leave, taking half the men with him and leaving half for Obito. Minato stares at Obito a little longer, clearly worried―probably for the kid, as his brother has always had a softer heart, so _kind_ , what is he even doing here aside from being forced to, by their father?

Obito raises an eyebrow at him, and Minato glances away, closing his eyes before he leaves, too.

It’s only then that Obito begins to take leisure steps towards the kid.

Up close, the kid is pretty damn good looking. He’s still young and hasn’t grown and matured into his looks yet, but Obito can see it already.

The kid really is a ‘pretty little bitch’, like their father has said.

“You,” Obito starts, “what is your name?”

“Like hell I’m going to tell you!” the kid spits out, and instantly, Obito whips an arm up, finger already on the trigger as he shoots at his left, not even bothering to look in the direction he’s shooting at.

A cry of pain echoes instantly in the vast room, and Kakashi gasps, head snapping in that direction. “Dad!”

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Obito tells him casually, a finger still on the trigger threateningly, and the kid sucks in a breath.

“It―It’s Kakashi,” the kid finally stutters, glaring at him with teary eyes. “Don’t shoot at my dad! Hurt _me_! I’m the one who angered you, don’t take it out on him―”

“But how can I _possibly_ bear to hurt you?” Obito almost coos, voice velvety as he drops to one knee, eye to eye with the kid― _Kakashi_ ―and trails a finger from his cheek to the curve of his jaw.

He can see from the slight trembles that Kakashi is trying so hard not to jerk away―not to yell at him―for fear that Obito would shoot his father again.

“You’re so beautiful… Has anyone ever told you that?”

“I wasn’t aware I was stuck in a cheesy romance movie,” Kakashi replies dryly, sniffling.

Obito simply chuckles and leans in. He can feel the other trying to control his shaking as the distance between them decreases, and at the very last moment, right before his lips would’ve touched Kakashi, Obito stops.

Kakashi stares uncertainly at him. “What―What do you want from me? From us?”

Obito hums. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Do you want to r―rape me? Like those other guys?”

Obito only tilts his head, pulling back. “Where would be the fun in that?”

“F―Fun?”

“I could take you here, sure. I could use force. But then it’d be too _easy_ , wouldn’t it?”

“This isn’t a fucking game,” Kakashi snarls.

“I beg to differ. Life is nothing _but_ a game, Kakashi,” Obito replies, a smirk playing on his lips.

“What the fuck do you want?!” the other yells at him. “Do you want me, is that it? If I let you, will you let my dad go? Just release my dad―”

“Kakashi, shut up! What are you saying?” his father finally speaks up, still battered and bruised with a hand clutching on his right shoulder from where Obito’s shot earlier. “This is all my fault! Please, Obito, is it? Please let him go, he’s just a little kid, you can torture me all you want, but Kakashi―”

Obito doesn’t take his eyes off Kakashi as he pulls the trigger again, shooting precisely at the older man’s right bicep. He ignores Kakashi’s shrieking as he calmly intones, “Did I allow you to utter a single word? I’m still talking to Kakashi here.”

“Stop shooting him!” Kakashi screams. “Stop shooting my dad! Why won’t you hurt me instead, goddamnit―” He tries to struggle again, but Itachi, behind him, only jerks the chains to the handcuffs tighter, circling it around the poles.

“But you’re too _precious_ to be hurt,” Obito murmurs, cupping at a cheek, and Kakashi unwillingly lets him. “I wouldn’t want this pretty little face bruised.”

“What the fuck do you want?!”

Obito regards him. Kakashi’s eyes are _still_ fierce, glaring at him with unconcealed hatred. No matter if his shirt is torn in half, no matter if he’s restraint by men far bigger than him, no matter if his father is nearby bleeding on the ground, he’s still―

― _unbreakable_.

Obito is _intrigued_.

“I want to _break_ you,” Obito mouths to himself.

“Huh?”

“I want to see you submit. _Willingly_ ,” he says.

“I will _never_ submit to the likes of you,” Kakashi answers, determined.

Obito only smiles indulgently. “Really?”

“Really.”

“I’m going to make you change your mind,” Obito says, grabbing a fistful of Kakashi’s hair and bending his head back at an awkward angle, the latter letting out a startled gasp. “I won’t take you by force, because I won’t _have_ to. I’m going to make it so that the next time we meet, _you_ will come to _me_. You will give me your _everything_ ―not just your body, but your heart, mind, and soul, too. I will own everything of yours, and you will be giving them to me, _willingly_.”

“I―” Kakashi breathes, asphyxiating for air as Obito’s lips brush at his throat, the barest of touch. “I _won’t_ ―I will never―want you―”

“You _will_ ,” Obito continues, slipping his tongue out to lick at Kakashi’s throat teasingly, making the other shudder. “Not only will you want me and be willing to give me your everything, you will also _love_ me.” At this, he pulls the younger boy’s head back, their eyes meeting as he proclaims, “I’m going to make you _love_ me.”

“No, I won’t!” Kakashi growls, struggling to pull away. “I won’t, I’m going to fucking _kill_ you! Mark my words, when I get out of this hellhole and see you again, I’m going to kill you, kill you, kill―”

“Really?” Obito asks with a tilt of his head.

“Yes!”

“…Is that a promise, then?”

“Yes!” Kakashi exclaims, tipping himself forward with a determined gaze, the pendant around his neck falling out of his shirt as a result. “It’s a promise! I swear I’ll find you again, and when I do, I will definitely kill you with my own hands!”

The delighted smile Obito gives him obviously catches Kakashi by surprise. “Then let’s take a bet, huh? To see who will fulfill their promise first.”

Without a warning, Obito reaches out towards Kakashi’s chest and hooks a finger around the chain, snapping it off. “What―”

”Keepsake of our promise,” Obito tells him, clutching the necklace in his palm. There’s a silver dolphin as a pendant and he smirks slightly. “When you have fulfilled your promise towards me, I’ll give this back to you.”

Before Kakashi has a chance to respond, Obito snaps his fingers and more men come in, dragging about five men with them, all in police uniforms.

“Now, who shall be my first target?”

“What…?”

“Let’s leave your dad for last, shall we? He’s the _main course_ of this event, after all.” With a nod towards one of his men, the guy takes out a butcher knife and slaps it down through the policeman’s ankle, and Kakashi shrieks in horror as he sees the foot of one of his father’s colleagues rolling on the floor, sliced from his leg.

“ _Ah… Ah…_ ” Kakashi whimpers, terror in his eyes as he stares at the man’s severed leg, blood profusely flooding out and pooling onto the dirty ground.

“Have you heard of _disembowelment_ , Kakashi? One of my men is particularly good at it. Should he demonstrate it for you? On your, hmn… _dad_ perhaps?”

“ _No… No…_ ” Kakashi keeps whimpering, face aghast as he watches the man with the knife flip the object around, smashing the knife handle into the policeman’s eye, the remnants of his eyeball bursting and dripping mushy bits down his cheek. “ _Nonononononono―_ ”

“Kakashi, look at me!” Obito commands, and Kakashi instinctively brings terrified eyes to him. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, eyes glazed over, mesmerized. “But I think you’ll look _so much more_ beautiful when you _break_.”

Kakashi only lets out a whimper as Obito leans closer.

“Kakashi. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful face,” he coos, hand caressing Kakashi's cheek as the latter trembles helplessly under his hold. “I can’t wait until we meet again. I’ll be waiting for you to fulfill your promise, okay? ‘ _Kashi_.”

☩

“’Kashi,” Obito calls out.

Kakashi hiccups, choking on his tears as he lifts his head up, staring at the other in distraught. “You―You―”

“Did you finally remember everything?” Obito asks, thrilled.

“ _Obito_ ,” he sobs, clutching his head in his hands. “How could you―Why did you― _Why―_ ”

“Your tears today are as beautiful as they were seven years ago,” Obito says, stepping closer and wiping a tear away with his thumb. “You _breaking_ today is _as beautiful_ as when you broke, seven years ago.”

“How could you do this?” Kakashi blubbers. “How could you―”

“Because I love you.”

“This isn’t―” Kakashi shakes his head frantically. “This isn’t love. This _isn’t―_ ”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Obito asks, tilting his head innocently. “I fulfilled my promise, didn’t I? You _love_ me, don’t you?”

Kakashi simply cries harder, a sad, desperate noise coming out of him.

“You love me, don’t you, ‘Kashi?” Obito repeats, grabbing Kakashi’s wrist―the one he had fixed earlier―and planting a gun on his palm.

Kakashi stares at the gun despairingly.

“Now it’s _your_ turn to fulfill your promise towards me.” Obito lifts Kakashi’s hand up for him, planting the muzzle right onto his chest, where his heart is. “ _Kill_ me, ‘Kashi.”

The other only brings erratic eyes up at him, lips trembling and the gun shaking in his grip.

“Will you do it? _Can_ you do it? Kakashi,” Obito leans closer, the muzzle digging into his own skin as he murmurs, “you _love_ me, don’t you.”

Those words weren’t a question.

They were a _statement_.

Kakashi closes his eyes, his grip loosening―

―and the gun drops down to the ground with a clank.

☩

_“You let the kid go?!” Madara asks in disbelief._

_Obito shrugs, putting his hands inside his pockets. “He’s just a little kid. No fun in killing him now.”_

_“I don’t care about that! Do you not know the motto of Akatsuki? It’s that we have 'no mercy'.”_

_“I’m sorry, father,” Obito says, pacifying. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal―everyone else is already dead, like you’ve instructed.”_

_The man sighs heavily. “Well, nothing we can do about that now. I heard the kid’s under the protection of the police after they found him. It’s not worth the trouble to capture him again.”_

_Obito nods._

_Madara glares at him. “Still, I’m suspending you from all our activities for two months as punishment. Do remember that we leave no one left alive next time, understood?”_

_“Understood. Again, I sincerely apologize, father.” Obito gives a bow before heading out of the room._

_As expected, Itachi is right outside the door, waiting for him._

_“Did you mean what you said?” the other asks in a low voice._

_“Hmn?”_

_“I know you, Obito. If we’re talking about our ‘no mercy’ motto, no one lives by that more than you do. You didn’t let him go because he was just a kid or you felt sorry for him or anything like that. You let him go because you, for some reason, wanted him to_ live _―even at the cost of getting yourself suspended.”_

_Obito tilts his head, smiling at him. “There’s really no one who knows me better than you, Itachi. It’s amazing.”_

_The other lets out a scoff._

_“Come on, let’s go have some fun at Tsuki no Me, since I’m suspended, as you’ve said.” Obito wraps fingers around Itachi’s wrist, tugging him, but the latter only pulls back._

_“Obito… You’re not going to change, right?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“This… You’re not going to change for anyone, right? You’re going to stay as you are, right? Because I…” Itachi trails off, muttering quietly, “I like you as you are.”_

_Obito laughs lightly, amused. “Oh, come on. I’m not going to change because of a kid I barely know whose voice hasn’t even broken yet! Don’t worry,” he leans in, whispering against the other’s ear, “I won’t change for anyone. Not even you.”_

_When he pulls back, there is a small, but satisfied, smile on Itachi’s face, and the latter lets himself be dragged by Obito down the hallway._

That doesn’t mean I can’t be intrigued by him, though _, Obito thinks as they walk, the name ‘_ Kakashi _’ refusing to leave his mind._

☩

There’s a chilling silence that passes between them after―neither making a sound as Kakashi’s eyes are still clenched shut and Obito is staring down at the ground.

Where the gun lies, static, after it got dropped.

“Oh, Kakashi,” Obito finally says, sighing fondly. Before Kakashi can react, the other grasps onto his shoulders and slams him to the wall nearby.

And then he crashes their lips together, tongue delving inside Kakashi’s mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.

Kakashi stills, not responding, but doesn’t do anything to push him away, either.

“You simply _intrigued_ me, back then,” Obito mumbles against his skin, peppering kisses down his throat. “That scrawny, tiny kid who knew no fear even in the face of devastating danger. That kid with the fiery eyes, who _dared_ to glare up at me.”

Kakashi bites on his lip, refusing to make a sound.

“You intrigued me, but that was it. The promise was a mindless challenge, because I found it amusing, and I had always loved playing games―always loved _winning_. It was soon put in the back of my mind, forgotten.” At this, he pauses. “Forgotten, that is, until I saw you at Tsuki no Me again a few months ago,” Obito hisses against the curve of his jaw as his hand brushes across Kakashi’s pants, unpopping the button easily.

Kakashi’s entire body trembles as he feels his pants being pulled down, and then there are fingers curling around his member, in a tight but not brutal grip.

“You had grown,” Obito continues as he strokes Kakashi, “your voice deeper, your height taller, your features more defined, but your _eyes_ ―they were still the same. The same fire in your eyes, even when you got hauled by a bouncer that could snap you in half like a toothpick, you still didn’t give in. Still so _unbreakable_. And just like that…”

Kakashi lets out a choked gasp as he feels a finger plunging inside him, barely aided by his own precome.

“Just like that, I was intrigued all over again. You were so _beautiful_ beneath me, refusing to _give in_ , refusing to _beg_ , refusing to admit you _wanted_ it, and then when I _broke_ you,” Obito punctuates by digging his finger onto Kakashi’s prostate, making the latter brace himself on Obito’s shoulder with his one good hand, an unconscious moan coming out of him, “it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. You were _breathtaking_.”

“So you…” Kakashi pants for air as Obito continues to finger him ruthlessly, another digit slipping inside, “you wanted to _break_ me, is that it? It’s a _game_ to you, isn’t it? It’s _fun_ for you, isn’t it?”

“What is life if not a game? What’s the point of living if you don’t spend it having fun?”

“So is that what it is? That I’m nothing but a―” at this, he chokes, stuttering out, “a _toy_ to you? That I’m a _thing_ for you to play with and break as you wish, like everyone else has been saying I am?”

Obito stills suddenly, pausing. He lifts his head up from sucking a mark onto Kakashi’s neck and looks at him in the eyes. “A toy?”

“Yeah,” Kakashi answers, blinking away the tears. “Just like Konan. Like Itachi. Like everyone else that you’ve charmed and seduced with your sweet words and actions. Am I like that, too? _Does it make you happy_?”

Instantly, both of them recall Kakashi’s words from Amaterasu that one night. There’s a long moment that passes between them before Obito whispers, “But I meant what I said.”

“What―” Kakashi doesn’t have time to say anything more, for Obito wraps hands around his hips and slides him up the wall, Kakashi having no choice but to stabilize himself by wrapping his legs around Obito’s waist.

“I love you,” Obito murmurs before pushing in, burying himself inside Kakashi.

“ _Ah―_ ” Kakashi wheezes, clutching onto the other for support. It was just yesterday when they had sex, but why does it feel like a lifetime away, now? Why does it feel so _different_ , now?

 _Because it is different_ , his mind supplies bitterly. _Everything… is different now._

“You asked me before if I loved you,” Obito grunts, slowly thrusting in and out of Kakashi. “And I said yes, I do. I meant it.”

Kakashi shakes his head, vision blurring as he feels Obito inside him, fucking into him steadily. “This isn’t love―” he chokes, “it’s not―this isn’t how―”

“Then what _is_ love?” Obito growls, snapping his hips up relentlessly and hitting against that spot that makes Kakashi’s toes curl unwillingly. “I treated you so well―I gave you everything you wanted―do you know how special you are―”

“You killed my dad!” Kakashi screams at him, fingernails digging into Obito’s skin.

“I didn’t have a fucking choice!” Obito screams back, startling Kakashi. “Do you think Madara would’ve let him go, when your dad had made him so mad? He wouldn’t have let _you_ go, either! I fucking saved you!”

Kakashi lets out a wrecked laugh, tears streaming down his cheeks as Obito continues driving into him furiously, and it _burns_ and it _hurts_ but it also feels _so good_ , and Kakashi thinks for the millionth time how fucked up he is. “You saved me… and ruined me at the same time,” he mouths to himself, recalling Zabuza’s words from that day.

“You’re _mine_ ,” the other hisses, grazing his teeth on the junction between Kakashi’s neck and collarbone and biting down hard, breaking skin. “If it wasn’t for _me_ , you would’ve been _gangraped_ by those disgusting goons―you would’ve had a fate worse than death―”

“And you think what you’ve done to me isn’t worse?” Kakashi retorts back angrily even as Obito keeps slamming into him over and over, crushing him against the wall. “You _played_ me―You made me _love_ you―And then you―”

“You’re mine,” Obito repeats, voice scratchy. He reaches his left hand and lifts Kakashi’s shirt up, tweaking the latter’s nipple, making him let out a whimper in response. “No matter how hard you try, you can’t deny _this_. I’m the only one who has _ever_ touched you like this. Your body only knows _me_. Only I know all the ways to make you moan and beg and break. You _belong_ to me.”

And then Kakashi finds he can’t say anything more―his mind can’t process fast enough to think of anything more to say―for Obito wraps his other hand around Kakashi’s member and strokes him in time with the thrusts, the left hand still fondling his nipple, and the stimulation is too much― _too much―_

At the last moment, Obito captures his lips in a harsh, soul-crushing kiss. “ _Come_ ,” he commands as they break apart.

And Kakashi does.

His body is quivering as he shoots white, murky liquid all over Obito’s fist and their clothes. After a few more thrusts, the other also comes, painting Kakashi’s walls and letting his seeds reach the deepest, most intimate parts of Kakashi’s body.

 _Branding_ him.

Kakashi feels himself being slowly lowered, sliding down the wall until he sits on his discarded pants, wincing at the feeling of Obito’s come spilling out from his entrance and staining both his thighs and the fabric.

“I’ll love you no matter what happens,” Obito murmurs, kissing Kakashi’s forehead gentlly, so unlike the rough kiss just moments earlier.

Kakashi blinks hazy eyes up at him, still trying to focus after coming so hard his vision had blacked out.

“That, I’m sure of,” Obito continues, and it’s only then does Kakashi realize the other is repeating the same words he told Kakashi last night.

“O―Obito―” he tries to say when he sees something dangling in front of his eyes, swinging back and forth.

The necklace with the silver dolphin his father had given him as a present.

“I will continue to keep this until you’ve fulfilled your promise.”

Kakashi widens his eyes.

“And I’ll be waiting, until you fulfilled your promise.” Obito pulls back, and the smile he gives Kakashi is so soft and _sincere_ , so like the countless smiles Obito had given him before when everything was still so beautiful.

The smile Kakashi fell in love with.

“I want you to go back to the police force. And when you’re ready, come and find me, ‘Kashi,” Obito continues. He starts to stand up and back away as Kakashi stares up at him with shaky eyes.

“Obito…”

“And when you do… _kill_ me. Let’s end this once and for all.”

And with that, hand clutching onto Kakashi’s old necklace, Obito walks away, never once looking back.

Kakashi lingers on the ground, breaths stuttering in wretched sobs as he curls fingers around the necklace on his own neck.

The crystal dolphin necklace Obito had given him.

And cries.

☩

After remaining on the ground for god knows how long, Kakashi finally picks himself off the dirty and wet floor and staggers out, the sky long gone since dark.

He walks aimlessly for awhile before remembering that he is probably not welcomed at Obito’s place anymore, and, with a heavy heart, trudges back to his apartment.

The light is still dark as he had left it, and he is just about to collapse onto the bed to take a long sleep, fuck the world, when he sees a shadow sitting by the closet, staring cryptically at him.

Kakashi gazes at the other distantly for a moment before walking over and untying him, neither of them saying a word the entire time.

It’s when Minato is stretching his limbs, freed from the ropes, that he speaks. “So I take it you finally know everything now.”

Kakashi laughs bitterly and settles onto the bed.

Another silence passes before Minato says, “Come on.”

“What?”

Minato starts to get up. “You need to go to the hospital. I’m not sure how you haven’t fainted from the blood loss already,” he says, looking pointedly at Kakashi’s arm, still dripping fresh blood onto the carpet.

Another bitter laugh. “I don’t even fucking feel it.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less harmful. My car’s still parked below. Let’s go.”

He feels Minato tugging on his good arm, and brings faltering eyes up at him. “You… You’re not mad at me?”

“Why should I be mad at you? Aren’t you supposed to be the one mad at me?”

“What…?”

Minato sighs, sitting next to him on the bed. “I knew everything, yet I kept it from you. I basically used you to infiltrate Akatsuki, because I knew Obito had a soft spot for you. I should’ve told you everything, but I didn’t―because of my own selfish wish…”

“It’s not like your wish is wrong,” Kakashi says tonelessly.

“Yes, but… I’m sorry, Kakashi. I knew the danger you would encounter… I knew how messed up it would be to send you back to Obito, yet I did it anyways. I’m…” the other takes a deep breath. "No matter how much I try to escape it, I’m no different from my father.”

Kakashi looks at how his arm is shaking because Minato’s hand is shaking, which still has a tight grip on his. “So Obito and Itachi are your... adoptive brothers?”

Minato nods, hands still shaking. “They were never officially adopted, but yes, they are my little brothers.”

Kakashi sighs. “It’s okay. Ultimately, you did send me back to the one person I’ve been looking for all these years.”

“Still, I’m… so sorry… Kakashi…” Minato says, voice breaking as he drops his head down onto Kakashi’s shoulder, trembling silently.

Kakashi lets the other cries on him and stares blankly at the wall ahead instead, and for a long moment, they both sit in the dark, more than slightly damaged.

☩

_SIX MONTHS LATER,_

The tie is too tight around his collar, the buttons stifling him, but Kakashi grits his teeth and bears it.

“Excited?” Minato asks beside him as they walk through the hallway.

“I suppose… This badge looks nice with my name on it, in any case,” Kakashi replies cheekily, jutting his chin at the emblem embedded into his new, white button-up shirt, another one just like it tucked inside the wallet in the pocket of his equally new dress pants.

The older simply barks out a laugh, pulling on the doorknob as they reach their destination.

“Hello, everyone,” Minato is saying as he walks inside the conference room. “It’s with much excitement and anticipation that I’ll be introducing the newest member of the Criminal Investigation Division. He’s been with us for awhile, but only is now joining our team officially. Please welcome our new Superintendent, Hatake Kakashi.”

Kakashi takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, before exhaling steadily and walking in.

“Hi, everyone. My name is Hatake Kakashi and I hope we’ll get along well―”

Obito wants Kakashi to fulfill his promise and kill him?

Then Kakashi will do exactly just that.

☩

“They’ve been in there for awhile.”

Kakashi breathes through his mouth quietly, careful not to make a sound. They’re flattened to the wall in the fire escape. From this position, they can occasionally peek out to the hallway past this wall.

“Approximately forty-three minutes.”

“I know,” Kakashi replies, toying with the gun between his fingers. “But we still don’t know for sure if they’re in there. Or if they’re doing anything suspicious at all.”

“How can they not―did you not see the six parked Ferraris and Lamborghinis down below? It’s definitely a gathering!”

“Yes, but we only saw one of them entering this room. And it’s―we don’t have sufficient information to―”

“But if we don’t act now, we can’t catch them in the act!” the other man protests, volume rising. “By the time we can determine for sure, they’d already be done with their drug exchange, making all our efforts this entire morning wasted!”

“Wait, Asuma―!” Kakashi blurts out, yelling as the other steps away from their hiding spot and heads towards the one door they’ve been watching all this time.

Having no choice, Kakashi signals for the other men in their unit to follow after Asuma, and soon, they’ve got the front entrance entirely surrounded.

“Open up! We know you’re in there!” Asuma shouts once before kicking the door open, and Kakashi has his gun at the ready, only to find―

The guy they had seen going inside this room, on the couch and watching TV leisurely.

“Oh, hello there, all you police officers,” the guy says, taking a drag of his cigarette. “To what do I own this honor today?”

“Where are the rest of you?!” Asuma demands.

The guy fakes a surprised look. “‘Rest of me’? Whatever do you mean? It had only been old little me in this room, enjoying my day off until you ‘enforcers of the law’ came and rudely barged in. Do you know I can sue you for this?”

“You―” Asuma growls, taking a step forward threateningly, and Kakashi has to hold him back.

“That’s enough, Asuma!” Kakashi tells him. Looking to the guy on the couch, he says, “We apologize for the intrusion so suddenly. We had heard there might've been suspicious activities going on in this room, that was all. But it seems we were…” Kakashi pauses briefly, cringing, “mistaken.”

The other guy makes a show of pondering, before smirking at him. “No problem. I’ll let this go, only because you asked me to, Hatake Kakashi. You’re still revered in our organization, you know.”

Kakashi grits his teeth, trying to control himself before nodding curtly and walking out, signalling the others to come with him.

“Sorry about this,” Asuma says, voice soft as they walk down the stairs. “I really thought―”

“It wasn’t entirely your fault,” Kakashi says, sighing. “You just aren’t used to dealing with them. They’re very, very sly. And it was supposed to be Deidara who heads the gathering today. He’s one of the smartest in Akatsuki―”

“Why, thank you, Kakashi!” a voice croons out, and Kakashi jerks his head to the right as they step outside. Deidara is leaning against the door to his bright red Lamborghini, tilting his head as he grins at them. “I didn’t know you thought that highly of me.”

Kakashi gives his unit a look to stay still and makes his way to stand in front of the other man. Deidara is dressed in an obnoxious fur coat, decked out in expensive golden accessories from head-to-toe.

“Long time no see, Kakashi.”

Kakashi ignores his greetings. “So are you finished with your exchange already?”

Deidara hums, undeterred. “Mnn, yes. Thanks to you and your men guarding the fifth floor’s stairs safely for us, we were able to complete our deal on the floor above.”

Kakashi curses internally. “I see.” Damn, so they were on the sixth floor instead.

A man comes up to Deidara and whispers something in his ear. Straightening his clothes, he says, “Well, I’ve gotta go now. Busy work, you know? It was nice seeing you again, Kakashi.”

“Same,” Kakashi replies flatly.

Before he heads inside his car, Deidara shoots him a leer. “Ah, almost forgot. The boss sends his love, dearest Kakashi.”

Then he gets in, and the car, plus a few other cars behind him probably just lying in wait, speed away in a flash.

Asuma, standing behind, gives a grimace as he stares at the clenched fists at Kakashi’s sides.

☩

“I’m sorry it was another failed outing,” Kakashi sighs, throwing himself into the chair as soon as he steps inside the office.

Minato smiles understandingly at him. “It’s fine. It’s only been a few weeks.”

“Yes, but.” Kakashi cards his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I guess now I know how you feel, trying to take down Akatsuki all these years. That was why you needed me, wasn’t it?” Kakashi asks cheekily.

The other only lets out a light laugh, and Kakashi takes the time to watch him. It’s amazing to think about it now―Minato and him talking amicably, even joking around, when, just six months ago, Kakashi had tied him up and thought of him as one of his enemies…

“Kakashi?”

Kakashi blinks back to reality and shakes his head. “Nothing. Just recalling the past.”

Minato shoots him an empathizing smile. “The past is always what ends up hurting us the most.”

“So it seems…”

“But,” the other continues, “no matter how hard the past tries, the future will always be ahead of it.”

Kakashi looks up, startled.

The smile on Minato’s face turns more genuine now. “You can’t change the past, but you can always change the future.”

“Yeah,” Kakashi agrees, starting to brighten up, too. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks.”

Minato just smiles at him kindly. A beep breaks the moment, and Minato presses a button on his answering machine. “Yeah?”

A raspy voice. “It’s me. I’m here. Should I come up?”

“Yeah, you have good timing. I’ll tell them to let you in.”

Kakashi blinks at him as Minato ends the call.

“Someone I want you to meet,” he says mysteriously.

Kakashi blinks again and waits. It isn’t too long until there’s a knock on the floor.

“Come in.”

When Kakashi looks back, he sees a man, shorter than him, with extremely pale skin and long black hair.

“Hey, long time no see,” the man greets Minato before turning to Kakashi. “And you must be Kakashi.”

“Yes… Hi, umn…?”

“Let me introduce you guys. Kakashi,” Minato calls, “this is my new second-in-command. He just got transferred here, and will be assisting you in the missions. His name is Orochimaru. Orochimaru, you already know Hatake Kakashi.”

“Not know, but… heard of,” Orochimaru says, voice laced with amusement. “I don’t think there’s anyone who remotely follows the Akatsuki case and has not heard of Hatake Kakashi.”

Kakashi winces. He isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or not.

“Oh, no, don’t mistake me,” Orochimaru says, noticing his expression. “That’s meant to be a praise. No one else has managed to leave such a long-lasting impression in Akatsuki. It’s sort of, well, cool.”

“Thanks… I guess.”

Minato barks out a laugh. “He means well. You’ll find that Orochimaru is very straight-forward and doesn’t mince his words. I think you two will get along just fine.”

Kakashi gives the man a once-over.

“Orochimaru is older than you, than me, than all of us, actually,” Minato chuckles. “Also, he might not look like it, but he’s very strong. There are very few who can beat him in an all-out brawl.”.

“Oh,” Kakashi says, impressed.

“Well, I look forward to working with you, Kakashi,” Orochimaru says amicably, extending a hand out, and Kakashi smiles back.

“You, too.”

☩

Kakashi is walking back to his apartment, in a good mood for once. The road he takes is the same―he doesn’t see a point in moving to a new place after what had transpired six months ago, since more than likely, Obito will somehow find out his new place anyways, so there is no point.

It’s getting dark outside―He, Minato, and Orochimaru had hung out having a few drinks with each other in the canteen on the first floor before they finally decided to break. It’s when he’s a few steps away from his apartment that he freezes, for a voice calls out, “Kakashi.”

There is only one person he knows with a voice like that―slightly raspy but velvety, each syllable rolling off the tongue almost nauseatingly sweet.

Nauseatingly disgusting.

Kakashi narrows his eyes as he spots him―leaning back on the hood of his car with his hands in his pockets casually, that ever infuriating smirk planted firmly on his face.

“Baby, how have you been?”

Kakashi snarls, stalking towards him. “Don’t call me baby!”

The other’s smirk only widens. “So this is what you look like in your full police attire glory, hmn?” He licks his lips, unashamedly checking Kakashi out. “It gives you a fiercer look. You look hot. I like it.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you like it!”

“Oh, are we back to you spitting coarse words at me again? That’s hot, too.”

“Fuck you, Obito!”

“Good suggestion,” Obito answers easily. He straightens up and takes a step forward, and Kakashi has to physically force himself to not take a step back―he won’t back away from Obito like he’s scared of him.

Obito merely takes two steps forward to stand directly in front of him. Then, he reaches a hand out and twirls a lock of Kakashi’s hair around his index finger, and the latter holds his breath.

“Your hair is a bit longer now. Or is it because it’s not as spiky it used to be?” Obito notes with a chuckle. “You’ve matured, haven’t you? You look even more gorgeous, if that’s possible.”

Kakashi’s hands are clenched into fists as the other leans closer.

“So gorgeous… so pretty… ‘Kashi…” Obito whispers, breath tickling Kakashi’s skin. At the last moment, when their lips are just millimeters away from touching, Kakashi brings a hand back―

―and punches Obito in the face.

The other teeters back, obviously shocked. Kakashi watches, breathing heavily, as Obito wipes at his jaw and spits out blood on the sidewalk.

“You think you have the right to touch me?” Kakashi gasps, chest heaving and his hand tingling from the exertion. “You don’t. Not anymore. I don’t have to let you do whatever the fuck you want with me anymore!”

There’s a long moment that passes with nothing but breathy pants from Kakashi’s side as Obito stills, head down and shadow covering his face. Finally, the latter’s shoulders start to shake―

―and keep on shaking as an obnoxious bark of laughter rushes out, startling Kakashi.

“Did. You. Just. Punched me?” Obito enunciates, finally lifting his head, and the look in his eyes stuns Kakashi, for there is nothing but pure joy in those orbs. “’Kashi, you actually punched me! I can’t believe―”

“I―”

The laughter stops as abruptly as it came. In a flash, there’s a hand fisting at the collar of his shirt, yanking Kakashi forward roughly, and then there are lips brushing against his own.

Kakashi feels his own body tremble against his will as he stares into the depths of Obito’s eyes―elation, euphoria, madness―swirling inside them, and then he hears it.

“This just makes me love you even more, ‘Kashi,” Obito murmurs, before crashing their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you guys probably thought this was going to be the ending chapter, but sorry to disappoint you! We’re still quite far from the ending, but I promise this fic won’t go past 20 chapters lol
> 
> This chapter basically ends the Kakashi and his missing memories arc. From this point on, we’ll learn more about Obito’s character (of course there’s more to him) and their relationship now that Kakashi’s identity as a cop is out in the open and he’s regained his memories! Thank you for all the support so far! I really appreciate it ❤️
> 
> Also just to make it clear, Itachi doesn’t see Obito as a brother, he never did, and vice versa. Minato was the only one who thought of them as family.


	9. Chapter 9

“Nice bruise.”

Obito walks in and throws himself onto the couch next to the other man. “Isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time I tasted my own blood inside my mouth,” he says, lips crooked into a smirk haughtily.

The other shakes his head exasperatedly. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re a sadist or a masochist, Obito.”

Obito barks out a laugh. “Maybe both? Life’s too short to restrict yourself only to one, Itachi.”

Itachi shakes his head again, gaze lingering on him for a moment longer before he goes back to the document in his hands.

“Hmn? Not going to ask me where this bruise came from?”

The other keeps his eyes on the paper. “Do I need to? There’s only one person in the world who can punch you in the face and have you be delighted over it.”

“Mnn. You know me too well, Itachi,” he says, chuckling.

“Sadly.”

“What’s with that tone? Hey,” Obito calls, hand reaching out to caress Itachi’s wrist next to him gently. “Are you jealous? Do you want to be the one with the privilege to punch me in the face?”

The other keeps silent.

“Or…” Obito murmurs, lifting Itachi’s head up with a finger on his chin. “Do you want me to punch you, instead?”

Itachi gives him a light scoff.

“You see, the thing about you knowing me best,” Obito continues with a smooth tone, the fingers on Itachi’s wrist trailing up his arm to where there’s a faint scar that still remains, even though it’s been six months, “is that I know you best, too. And I know what a masochistic little freak you are. You dared to hurt Kakashi when you were perfectly aware of the consequences.”

“Obito, I already said I was sorry…” Itachi says, voice shaking. “I let my feelings get out of hands and let it take over my actions. I’m sorry. Should I shoot myself again? Where would you like it? On my other arm? My leg? My chest?”

Obito’s thumb continues to rub over the scar, where Itachi shot himself six months earlier as an apology for hurting Kakashi.

 _It’s the same spot where I shot Kakashi,_ Itachi had said, voice eerily calm as one of his hands clutched around a gun and the other was dripping with blood pooling onto the ground. _Please forgive me._

“…Obito?”

“It’s fine, I was just teasing you,” Obito says, smiling at him.

Itachi breathes out steadily.

“Calm down. Isn’t this what you wanted anyways?”

“What I wanted,” Itachi repeats.

“Mnn,” Obito hums. “People looking in from the outside―people that don’t know us, don’t understand―would think you’re stupid and blind for the lengths you will go to just for me. But that’s not the truth, is it? You’re not stupid, not at all.”

Itachi keeps still as Obito leans in, the latter’s breath fanning against the shell of his ear.

“Someone virtuous and boring, like Minato, for example, could never interest you,” Obito whispers, tone low and velvety. “You like the fact that I’m crazy, as other people always put it. You like the thrill I can bring you. You get off on it.”

“But it’s the same way I can never interest you,” Itachi replies quietly. “You can never be interested in someone as equally crazy as you, right?”

Obito simply chuckles, a deep sound. “Like I said, you know me the best, Itachi.”

☩

Kakashi is in his office at the CID. His eyes are on the papers on his desk, but his gaze is distant as he keeps twirling the pencil in his hand absentmindedly.

Six months…

Six months of training, of overworking himself, of burying himself into research and papers, trying to read up on everything about Akatsuki’s history that he can.

Of pretending he is fine. He is. Because he’s grown up now, and after all the shit he’s been through, nothing should phase him anymore.

Six months of running away. Of chasing relentlessly after Akatsuki and their every activity while also simultaneously pretending Obito doesn’t exist.

Six months of never meeting Obito properly, face to face, for it to come down to this.

Kakashi grits his teeth as he recalls what happened just the night before...

 _“Do you know, ‘Kashi,” Obito starts, voice a low muttering against his neck. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve bled. It must’ve been before I took control of_ _Akatsuki_ _, back when I was still doing menial missions for my old man.”_

_“Well―Then―Good,” Kakashi stutters, his breathing not getting any better because Obito’s lips are brushing at the skin of his neck, and it’s so fucking distracting, and he hates himself, he really does, because his body is tingling all over from how warm Obito is, still pressed up against him in the middle of a cold autumn night._

_“I’m sorry, it’s probably not very fair for you, is it? After all, you’ve bled plenty of times before because of me, haven’t you?” Obito asks, voice gentle._

_“…I have,” Kakashi answers quietly._ I’ve shed a lot of tears for you too, you asshole _, he thinks before he can stop himself._

The sound of a pencil snapping breaks him out of his memories.

Kakashi exhales heavily as he looks at the broken pencil in his hand, his other hand unconsciously palming the spot at his neck, beneath his shirt collar where Obito bit him just last night. He had bitten down hard onto Obito’s tongue when he was kissing him, making the latter bleed, and Obito sank his teeth down onto the patch of skin where Kakashi’s neck met his shoulder in return, leaving a bruise.

_“But don’t you think it’s unfair? So many people have marred your lovely skin before, but not me.”_

Kakashi groans. _This can’t go on like this_ , he chastises himself internally. _You’re too weak and powerless right now. Think. Think, Kakashi! What can you do? What can help you―_

_Wait. Help?_

_Help… Help…_

Kakashi widens his eyes as he searches for his phone, punching in a new number he’s never used before but had memorized by heart.

“Hello?” a voice on the other end resounds, and Kakashi lets out a breath of relief at the familiar voice.

“Hi, Yahiko? This is Kakashi…”

☩

Kakashi is standing before a river, aimlessly watching the water flowing by. It’s a nice day today, and the wind is gently ruffling his silver hair as it blows by.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

Kakashi glances sideways and smiles. “It’s fine. Thank you for coming.”

The other grins at him, and steps closer. Kakashi takes the time to study him―the other hasn’t changed all that much, including his bright orange hair.

“You know, for someone who’s supposedly in hiding, you should probably consider changing your hair color,” he comments teasingly.

“Hey, it’s a nice color!” the other defends with a smile. He bends down to pick up a stone and skips it across the river lazily. “So… how have you been?”

“I can ask you the same thing, Yahiko,” Kakashi replies back, watching as the stone skips across the surface of the water before sinking completely.

“Mnn, well. Nothing much to say about me, really. As you’ve known, I’ve been keeping things on the down low. I’ve got a nice place in a little village far away from here. It’s… well, nice. Cozy.”

“I still don’t understand why you do that,” Kakashi mutters, gaze down.

“You know why―”

“Minato isn’t doing an arrest warrant for you,” he interrupts. “And he won’t ever be. He likes you, Yahiko. You’re one of his best men. He would never want you in jail.”

“Yeah, but he wants a certain other person in jail,” Yahiko says dryly.

“That’s―” Kakashi pauses. He honestly doesn’t know―Yahiko might be correct, but… “It’s still a shame to waste yourself away like this. You have too much talent and potential.”

“Why, thanks for the compliment, Mr. Number One Potential,” Yahiko grins at him. Then, his face becomes serious as he says, “But does it matter, though? That I have talent and potential? That I’m ‘wasting myself away’?”

Kakashi takes a deep breath, exhaling before replying, “No, I suppose not.” He knows the invisible question attached to Yahiko’s words: ‘Does it matter as long as I can have this, right now?’

Still. “It’s not just your talent and potential, though,” Kakashi tells him. “It’s about your strong sense of justice, too. I’m sure you’ve heard on the news about what kind of havoc Akatsuki has been causing lately.” He sees Yahiko stiffen at this out of the corner of his eyes. “And… It’s not just you whose talent and potential are being wasted.”

“What.”

Kakashi turns fully to Yahiko, taking in the somber look on the other’s face. “You know what I’m talking about. Nagato is too good, too skilled, too powerful, to be kept hidden away like this.”

Yahiko purses his lips. “I believe you’ve forgotten the part where he’s a wanted criminal. How we’re both wanted criminals―for Akatsuki and the police.”

“For Akatsuki, maybe. Who really knows what Obito’s opinion is about this. But―the police, you’re not―I mean, I told you, there isn’t an official arrest warrant for you―both of you―or anything.”

Yahiko narrows his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”

Kakashi takes another deep breath, breathing out steadily. “I’m saying. I need your help. And I could―possibly, persuade Minato to turn a blind eye on you guys, and maybe fake some documents. Change a few papers. Make some new IDs. And let you through the security checkpoint and start a new life in another country.”

Yahiko’s eye twitches at this.

“I know. You guys are in hiding because you’re in still in this country. You can’t get through the airport security―well, not unless you kill everyone there and board the plane by force, haha.” Kakashi thinks that if that person had wanted to, he could’ve just mass-murdered everyone, but he’s sure neither Yahiko nor him would want that. “But―but if you have the police, especially some very high-ranking police, help you, you can slip past the gate no problem and maybe start a new life somewhere where no one knows who you are nor of your past.”

“Right. And what’s the catch? Because I can see where this is going already,” Yahiko says flatly.

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi says sincerely. “Truly, if I had a choice, I would not want to bother you with this, but…” He pauses, biting his lip. “I―I’m honestly at my rope’s end. I don’t know what to do. No matter what I do, Akatsuki always manages to one-up me. Obito is―” Kakashi clenches his fists by his sides. “I―I can’t deal with this alone. I need help. And you, you were the first person I thought of. The one who had always helped me before, and…”

Yahiko’s eyes soften as he watches Kakashi trails off, head down. With a sigh, he steps closer to the younger man and pats his shoulder gently. “I do understand your feelings. There was a time in my life when I only had one goal in mind and all I could do was chase relentlessly after it, disregarding everything else.”

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi cracks. “I really didn’t want to bring you back to this life. I know you had wanted to put it all behind―”

“We did, but,” Yahiko gazes up at the sky. “It’s not like we can keep hiding the rest of our lives, afraid of every little move whenever we step out in public, either. This is no way to live―not forever.”

“Still…”

“It would be nice… Nice to go somewhere where no one knows you. Where we can be free and live our lives as normal people.” Yahiko chuckles at this. “Wow, that does sound pretty nice, actually! I’d… I’d like that.”

“Yahiko…”

“Give me some time, okay?” Yahiko asks, squeezing his shoulder. “I’ll talk to Nagato about it, and see what his opinion is. Although, if I know him as well as I think I do… then you’ll get a very positive answer from me in a few days.”

“I’m sorry…” Kakashi looks sadly at him.

“Hey, stop apologizing!” Yahiko reprimands. “I’m not just doing this for you! You’re right, my sense of justice has been prickling quietly all this while, knowing what I can do and yet have done nothing. And, you know, that ‘start over in a new place’ thing!” He cracks a wide grin at Kakashi, and the latter can’t help but grin back.

“Thank you, Yahiko. Really. So I guess I’ll be expecting a phone call from you in a few days?”

“You bet!”

☩

“―So it all depends on what’s more important to you,” Kakashi finishes.

“I do see your point,” Minato concedes, “but we must not forget all the crimes Nagato had done, too. In fact, he is responsible for causing the most number of deaths in the country, Kakashi. His body count is endless.”

Kakashi winces. “While it’s true, he was just following orders. It’s not like he takes enjoyment in killing people.”

“Yes, but does it matter?”

“…I suppose not, but… I mean, it’s taking the lesser evil, in a way? Nagato has no intentions of killing anymore. He just wants to live a quiet life with Yahiko. Whereas Obito, well, I don’t have to tell you he’s going to be responsible for many more troubles and deaths as long as he’s in reign.”

Minato quiets at this, contemplative. Finally, he sighs. “I suppose you’re right. It’s a matter of, do we continue to fixate on punishments of the past crimes, or is stopping any future crimes more important.”

Kakashi brightens, smiling in relief. “I’m glad you’ve become more flexible. I heard you were quite rigid before.”

“Hey!” Minato makes a mock-offended face, prompting laughing from the younger man. “I’ve gradually learned that, in life, if you want to get anywhere or achieve anything, you need to consider all options. And, well, I have known Nagato since we were little. I do know he’s not innately a bad person. It was just the people around him that had turned him bad.”

Kakashi nods in understanding. “Sometimes I wonder how much the environment we live in affect our personalities… I mean, you were also the son of Akatsuki’s old boss. You could’ve been the next boss of Akatsuki, but you didn’t…”

The other man shrugs. “It just wasn’t the life for me. But I told you, right? I’m not all that ‘good’.”

Kakashi stares at him for a moment before ducking his head, looking down. “I don’t think any of us are a hundred percent ‘good’, to be honest. Including me.” _I’ve had moments where I’m fucked up, too_ , he adds silently to himself.

“You were…” Minato pauses, regarding him. “I think you were an unfortunate product of circumstances. Anyone that had been through the same things you had might’ve broken down already, but you’re still staying strong, Kakashi. You are a strong person, don’t forget that.”

He knows Minato is trying to comfort him, but Kakashi is still so unsure of himself to really appreciate the other’s words. “I am trying,” he replies. “Anyways, that’s all I wanted to talk to you about. I’ll be going back to my office now.”

Minato seems like he has more to say, but in the end, he nods, and Kakashi gets up from his seat stiffly.

☩

“Good aftenoon, Kakashi.”

Kakashi looks up as he closes the door behind him and steps out into main room. Orochimaru is in front of a desk, leaning casually against it.

Kakashi makes his way to him. “Good afternoon.”

The older man hums, a hand curled around a mug of coffee, still steaming hot. “You and Minato seem close.”

“Are we? I’ve only known him since last year.”

“I don’t know. I’ve known him for a few years now, with us being comrades in the CID division, but… he seems softer, somehow, when he’s around you.”

 _Probably because he feels guilty towards me,_ Kakashi thinks, but doesn’t say.

“Then again, a lot of people seem softer around you.”

“Huh?” Kakashi startles, snapping his eyes to the other man who has a small smile on his face.

“I’ve done my research, you know,” Orochimaru replies, setting his mug down. “In the roughly four months you’ve been in Akatsuki, you’ve somehow managed to charm everybody. The Elites all seem to be very fond of you.”

“I’m sure that was because I was,” Kakashi pauses, cringing at his next words, “Obito’s favorite.”

“Maybe. But some of them seem to like you for you,” Orochimaru says. “Like, hmn… Konan and Kisame, for example. And let’s not even mention Zabuza from Kiri no Nanaken.”

Kakashi widens his eyes. It’s expected that the older man would know some of Kakashi’s information back in the time he was an undercover, and Minato might’ve told him himself.

But… how does Orochimaru know about Konan and Kisame? Especially Kisame, whom, to the rest of the world, had acted like he despised Kakashi to the very core?

A light laugh breaks him out of his thoughts, and Kakashi refocuses his gaze to see Orochimaru looking at him in amusement. “You’re shocked I know this, aren’t you? You’re wondering how, right?”

“Well…”

“Well,” Orochimaru continues from his word, “let me just say… when Minato told you, you shouldn’t be fooled by my appearance, that he was correct.”

Kakashi frowns at him.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m a veteran, you know? I’ve been in this field for years now. There are some things that I just know, that I can see… or notice.”

“What…”

“Like, for example,” Orochimaru reaches a hand out and brushes two fingers along the collar of Kakashi’s shirt, the slightest of touch. “Why did you button your shirt all the way up to your neck today?”

Kakashi flinches back instinctively and then curses himself afterward for how obvious he just acted. “What does it matter if I do? Half of the guys in our Division do it, too.”

“They do,” the other agrees. “But you weren’t one of them. Not until today, that is.”

“I―”

“I told you,” Orochimaru cuts into his words easily. “I’m a veteran. I notice things. And I noticed that you always wore your uniform with the top two buttons unbuttoned until you came to work today. And I just wonder… why?”

Kakashi resists the urge to cringe again. “It’s getting colder recently―”

“Don’t say such absurd excuses, Kakashi. Surely the treasured Superintendent of the CID is smarter than this, right?”

Kakashi grits his teeth. “What are you trying to say?”

“That there’s a reason for this,” Orochimaru answers easily, trailing his fingers across Kakashi’s shoulder in the lightest of touch before retracting his hand completely. “You’re hiding something.”

“Aren’t we all,” Kakashi says before he can stop himself.

To his surprise, Orochimaru nods. “We all are,” he confirms, picking up his mug. “And it all depends on what we’re each hiding, and if the people around us still choose to trust us regardless.”

Kakashi studies the older man for a moment. It seems like there is more to Orochimaru’s words than just the surface, but he’s not sure if he can grasp all the underlying meanings for the time being, so, instead, he chooses to ask, “Speaking of Zabuza, do you, by any chance, know what happened to him after the gun showdown that night?”

Orochimaru casts him a light smirk. “Last I heard, he and his best man got taken to the infamous Metal. I’m not sure if they’re dead yet, but…” he shrugs, “being dead would probably be a more pleasant fate than whatever they could be putting them through down there, wouldn’t it?”

Kakashi winces, knowing exactly what the means. He hasn’t seen it first-hand, but he does know the Metal is notorious for not only being Akatsuki’s prison, but also their torture chamber.

Haku is Kiri no Nanaken’s top assassin, and he might’ve been able to take on Konan, but Nagato probably had come and helped the latter that night.

Still, it surprises him. He hadn’t really expected Orochimaru to be able to answer that question. How vast is his information network, really?

“Well,” Orochimaru hums, taking a sip of his coffee and snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts. “I just wanted to confirm something, that’s all.”

“And what would that ‘something’ be?” Kakashi prompts, unamused.

The other simply gives him a secretive smile. “Something about you.”

“Really.”

Orochimaru chuckles. “Don’t look so gloomy. It might not be something bad.”

“But it might not be something good, either.”

At this, the other man laughs outloud. “That’s something for me to decide, unfortunately for you.”

Kakashi groans internally. Why does everyone he meet ever since getting involved in this Akatsuki mess have to be such a cryptic jerk?

☩

The sun has long set by the time Kakashi puts the folder in his hands down and stretches. A swirl of the chair around lets him see the nightlights glimmering across the city from the glass wall behind him. Kakashi sighs. He hadn’t even noticed the time passing as he was reading the documents, scrounging for any further information he could find about Akatsuki.

There’s a clicking sound suddenly before the entire place is covered in darkness. Kakashi stills. Most of his coworkers should have left the CID building by now, and maybe a janitor didn’t notice he was still in there and turned all the lights off, but…

Something tells Kakashi it’s more than just that. More than just―

“Aww, I wanted to see if you would freak out or not,” a feminine voice breaks through the silence suddenly, and Kakashi looks around to find the source of the voice. “But all you’ve done is froze like a statue. Should I have said ‘Boo!’?”

“Konan…” Kakashi breathes, digging his nails into the surface of his desk as he spots the woman leaning on his doorframe casually.

“Hi Kakashi,” Konan greets with a little wave, walking in and settling herself onto the guest chair. “It’s been awhile, huh?”

“It has…” It really has. Kakashi hadn’t seen Konan again ever since their last… meeting in Kamui. There hadn’t been much news of her, either, as if Konan was trying to lie low. Kakashi almost thought the woman was taking a break after what had happened, or even left Akatsuki.

“Why are you making that face again?”

“Huh?”

“That face,” Konan says, jutting her chin at him. “The ‘I’m in pain not for myself but for you’ face. I’d like to call it 'the Mother Teresa Face'.”

Kakashi gapes―he doesn’t even know how to respond to that.

Konan lets out a chuckle. “Stop looking at me like that, really. I’m okay.”

Kakashi blinks, taking a moment to really look at Konan. Though Kakashi can’t see her very clearly with only the dim lights from the window behind aiding him, he can still make out the light smile on Konan’s face, and she looks… happy. Not in the maniac way she can sometimes look, but she looks… like a calm sort of happy.

Like she’s at peace.

There is a lot of things Kakashi wants to ask Konan, but he’s not sure if the latter will even tell him, so he settles for the most straightforward question. “Why are you here, Konan?”

“How rude! Can’t I just go visit a dear old… buddy of mine?”

“We were never buddies,” Kakashi comments dryly. “And if you had really wanted to, you would’ve done it in any of the past six months. You’re here for a reason, aren’t you?”

“I’m glad to see you still have your sharp mind in tact,” Konan singsongs. “Yeah, I’m here for a reason.”

“Which is…?”

“Obito has an invitation for you.”

Kakashi stiffens. So many things are popping up inside his mind upon the other’s words, but the most glaring one is… “You’re still working for Obito?”

Konan simply hums. “Am I? Well, I guess you can say… in a way.”

“In a way?” Kakashi repeats.

“If you’re worried about my well-being, you don’t have to. I’ve… grown. I know things, now. I’m not that blind kid I was in the past.”

“First of all, I wasn’t worried about you,” Kakashi denies, inducing a bout of laughter from the other. “But what do you mean by… you’ve grown?”

“Exactly what it means,” Konan replies lightly.

“What?”

“Let’s just say… that I have my own goals that I want to achieve,” Konan tells him with a playful smile. “Different goals than before, but there are still things I want to do. I’m working for myself, not for anyone.”

Kakashi groans. “What are you planning now?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know~” Konan grins at him.

Kakashi rubs at his temple. He should’ve known he would never get a straight answer out of Konan. “Fine. Putting that aside… what’s this invitation thing?”

“He wants to invite you over to his place.”

Kakashi purses his lips. “Okay… And why should I accept?”

“Because he misses you, he said.”

“Tell him to get bent.”

Konan chuckles. “I think he had expected that. He also told me to ask you if it’s healed yet.”

Kakashi stills. Thankfully, this time, he’s gained enough self-control to not unconsciously reach up and touch at his own neck, where the bruise from when Obito bit him two days ago still remains under his shirt collar.

 _You’re hiding something_ , Orochimaru had said. The older man had seen right through him.

Kakashi wants to laugh.

“Does it matter?” he finally says.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” Konan shrugs. “He just says he wants to make another one.”

Kakashi chokes at this, unprepared. “What?”

Konan peers at him, amused by his reaction. “I suggest you do as he said. You don’t want to make him mad, right?”

Kakashi wants to retort, ‘What do I care if I make him mad?’, but he knows he’ll be lying to himself. Disregarding the fact that a mad Obito, boss of Akatsuki, can mean even more trouble for the police, but…

Kakashi’s experienced Obito being mad plenty of times before, both because of other people or Kakashi himself, and the result was… not pretty.

He winces when he remembers what happened when he went out to meet Zabuza alone and the… punishment from Obito afterward.

“You haven’t changed at all,” Konan comments, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You’re stronger now, sure. Both physically and mentally. But… at the very core, you’re still very much you, and you can’t resist Obito.”

“Excuse me, did you not see that bruise on his face?” Kakashi snaps, offended.

“You’re trying,” is all Konan says back. “But I do wonder how long it’ll last.”

Kakashi growls, standing up. “Let me tell you, it will last. Forever.” With a huff, he stalks out of the office.

“There’s a car waiting for you by the entrance!” Konan shouts after him.

☩

There really is a car―or more like a limousine―waiting for him down below. There’s also a man waiting who bows at him as Kakashi steps out onto the street. “Master Hatake Kakashi.”

“I’m not your fucking master!” he snarls.

“My apologies for upsetting you,” the man replies monotonously. “Please get in the car. The boss has been waiting for you.”

“And if I don’t?”

“The boss said you will regret it if you don’t,” the man tells him calmly despite the menacing aura coming out of Kakashi.

Kakashi lets out a noise of frustration, kicking the door of the sleek, expensive limousine without remorse. As expected, the lackey doesn’t even say a word of protest and quietly opens the door, now scratched by his action, and waits for him.

Kakashi glares out onto the street. It’s dark, and he doesn’t exactly see anyone around, but… he doubts he should make a scene right in front of the police headquarters.

Not to mention, Obito said he will regret it if he doesn’t… and Kakashi’s not sure he wants to find out what Obito plans to do if he doesn’t listen…

“Damnit,” Kakashi curses, clenching his teeth and getting inside the limousine.

☩

The drive there takes him through a familiar road―one he has seen many times before in the past. Kakashi has a brief thought wondering why it isn't Kisame who's driving him, but he is―admittedly―too nervous about what's going to happen to dwell on it.

After the car gets past the gates and the driver drops him off at the main entrance, Kakashi walks up the steps to the giant doors and glances at the security panel.

To his surprise―although he guesses he shouldn’t even be surprised at this point―the code is still the same from back when he still lived here, and the system still accepts his iris scan.

The interior of the house is the same, too, and lounging on the couch in the middle of the expansive living room, is the owner of the place himself.

“Welcome, ‘Kashi. Or should I say…” Obito tilts his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “Welcome back home.”

Kakashi feels frozen at his feet.

“Why are you standing so far away?” the other asks. “Come here, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi doesn’t move an inch.

“Kakashi,” Obito calls him, each syllable dripping off his tongue sickeningly sweet. “I said, come here.”

Kakashi watches as Obito curls an index finger towards him, gesturing him over. Silently, he pads over to the center of the room, a few feet away from where the other man is. “Why am I here?”

“Because I’ve missed you, I told you.”

Kakashi lets out a scoff. “You’ve missed me? You certainly weren’t missing me during the last six months when you ignored my existence.”

“Aww, were you sad I didn’t contact you?” Obito coos, and Kakashi curses himself for talking too much. “I’m sorry, I’ve had my hands full trying to get Akatsuki situated. Half of my Elites were either incapacitated or had left along with you, you know.”

“With good reasons,” Kakashi snarls.

“Not to mention, you didn’t make any attempts to seek me out, either,” the other continues breezily. “Although now I know you were just waiting for me to make the first move, right? Because you were too shy.”

“I wasn’t shy,” Kakashi objects disbelievingly. “I didn’t seek you out before because I didn’t want to―because I fucking hate you―”

“Kashi,” Obito interrupts easily. “I’ve missed you.”

Kakashi narrows his eyes at the other, incredulous.

“Do you miss me, too?”

Kakashi keeps silent. His eyes widen as Obito makes to stand up, and he involuntarily takes a step back.

Obito tilts his head, looking at him. “Are you afraid of me, ‘Kashi?”

Kakashi purses his lips, cursing himself for his action just now.

Obito takes a step forward, and Kakashi inwardly screams at himself to remain still.

“I asked you a question,” the other says when they’re face to face with each other, just an arm’s width away.

Kakashi drops his gaze. Even after all this time, he still can’t handle the full intensity of the older man’s gaze when it’s fully planted on him.

“Do you miss me,” Obito repeats, leaning forward, and Kakashi tries hard not to shudder as he can feel the other’s breath rippling across his skin. “Because you know, I really miss you, Kakashi.”

Before Kakashi can react, Obito is wrapping his arms around him and crushing him into a hug, one hand cradling the back of Kakashi’s head and the other resting on the curve of his back.

“L―Let go…”

“Or what, you’ll punch me again?” Obito murmurs against his neck. “Has this healed yet?” The hand on his head moves and presses down onto the side on his neck, and Kakashi unconsciously lets out a cry of pain.

With deft fingers, Obito easily unbuttons his collar to reveal the mark he had made, and Kakashi is struggling to grasp ahold of his own mind as Obito is too close again. Way. too. close.

“It hasn’t healed yet,” Obito inspects, caressing the wound with two fingers.

“You’re fucked up,” Kakashi exhales, trying to push Obito away, but there’s still a firm hand at his back, and truthfully, his limbs feel like jelly, his mind all hazy from the close proximity with the other man. “Why are you always torturing me like this?”

Obito lifts his head up, puzzled. “I’m not torturing you.”

“Yes you are! You’re doing all these things, and they’re all so fucked up, and it’s always on me―”

“But do you honestly dislike it?” Obito leans down and trails a tongue across the bruise, licking it and sending a shiver across Kakashi. “Because you can stand here and deny all you want, but your body can’t lie.”

“Obito―”

“You can say you hate me,” the older man continues, “you can hit me and hide for another day, but the truth is―”

Kakashi gasps in surprise as Obito bites at his lower lip, driving his tongue in as his hand comes back up to grip at the back of Kakashi’s head, caging him in. Kakashi barely has time to react before the other continues pushing forward, making Kakashi scramble back until the back of his knees hit the couch and toppling onto the furniture.

Obito immediately straddles him, pinning both his hands onto the couch as he continues to kiss him hungrily, his tongue shoved so far down his throat it's like he’s trying to suck Kakashi’s very soul out from the kiss.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi gasps between breaths, struggling for air as his mind is going into overdrive. What should he do? His wrists are pinned and if he bites Obito again, will the latter do something as insane as what he did last time? Will he do something even worse?

What the fuck is Kakashi supposed to do?

Thankfully, Obito relents a couple seconds later… only to wrap a hand around his throat, forcing Kakashi’s head up as the latter stares haphazardly into his eyes.

“Didn’t I tell you before how I hate being kept waiting?” Obito murmurs, his voice chillingly calm. “I asked you a question―several, in fact.”

“I―” Kakashi gasps, the air in his lungs cut off as Obito’s fingers grip tight around his throat. “I’m sor―Obito―please let go―” he stutters as his vision threatens to black out.

The older man leisurely retracts his hand, and Kakashi immediately breaks out into a coughing fit, hot tears stinging his vision.

“I’m still waiting,” Obito reminds him.

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi chokes out, biting hard on his lip and refusing to blink lest the tears will fall down. “I’m sorry, okay? Yes, I’m fucking scared of you. I’ve been scared of you since the first time you asked me that question back in Amaterasu that night, when you had wanted to fuck me in front of everyone. When you had wanted to display me like a fucking toy.”

“But I didn’t do it.”

“You didn’t do it,” Kakashi agrees, letting out a dry chuckle. “In fact, you started to treat me really well after that day, and I stupidly fell for you as a result!”

“Do you regret it?”

Kakashi snaps his head up, surprised at the question. Obito’s face is strangely calm right now, almost serene, as he stares at Kakashi. “I…”

“Do you regret falling in love with me?”

Kakashi drops his gaze again. In all honesty, he should regret it―falling in love with Obito has brought him nothing but pain, but…

But how can he regret something that’s been imbedded so deeply into him? No matter how much he wants to deny it, loving Obito comes as natural as breathing in air to him.

“…How do I regret something that's still such a big part of me,” Kakashi mumbles bitterly to himself.

“Kashi,” Obito murmurs, voice soft as he reaches out to take Kakashi’s hand and guides it to touch his face, on his cheek. “Did it make you happy when you punched me?”

Kakashi stares at him for a long moment before finally giving a wry, tired smile as his fingers linger over the bruise on the other’s cheek. There are still traces of purple splotching marring Obito’s handsome features as his fingers glide over the skin there. “Yes, it did make me happy.”

“You know, it's been years, and nobody has ever dared to hurt me like you did.”

“I know,” Kakashi replies, still staring into Obito’s eyes, almost hypnotized by the endless black depths inside the orbs. “Are you going to punish me for it?” he asks breathlessly.

The other leans closer, breath tickling his skin as he speaks, “Did you miss me, Kakashi?”

Obito’s hand drops down, playing at the base of his neck, where the bite is, while his other hand lingers at the hems of Kakashi’s shirt, stroking the bare skin there. “I…”

“Are you going to try to deny it?” Obito asks, lips quirking into a knowing smirk. “Tell me, are you going to be a filthy little liar to me?”

“Ah―” Kakashi gasps out as Obito squeezes at his waist, sending a spasm wrecking through his entire body. “I―”

“Maybe,” the other whispers, voice a low, lazy tone, hovering over him imposingly as Kakashi stares up at him with wild eyes, breathing heavily. “Maybe I should punish you after all, huh?”

He simply watches, entranced, as Obito’s face gets closer and closer until there are lips touching his and a tongue licking into his mouth.

Kakashi closes his eyes and, this time, he kisses back.

☩

“―and we need to do it step by step,” Minato is saying, knocking on the board filled with documents pinned all around as their division congregate in the meeting room. “Akatsuki is too powerful to take them all down at once. We need to strike at its pillars first.”

“Pillars?”

“Its main support,” Minato answers, pinning another picture up. “How Akatsuki has managed to expand so much and become so huge in such little time. Uchiha Obito is a good leader, but he isn’t the only reason why Akatsuki flourished.”

“The Elites,” Orochimaru murmurs, staring at what Minato’s pointing at: a picture of five or so people gathered around a table, playing poker.

Minato nods grimly. “Correct. Uchiha Obito does not only have the intelligence to direct his operations as the boss, he also possesses the charisma and persuasion skills to gather so many exemplary people under his command. That is the reason why Akatsuki is so powerful now.”

Kakashi drops his gaze onto the table. He should be listening, but his mind isn’t a hundred percent with him at the moment.

“We’ve been trying to catch them in the act the past few months,” Minato continues. “It hasn’t been very fruitful so far, but they were small transactions. Nothing big. This one, however,” he pauses to tack another flyer up, “will be.”

Kakashi sees everyone else leaning forward with interest.

“Five days from now, Akatsuki will be holding a conference. On the outside, it’ll look like a gathering of wealthy businessmen socializing and discussing more business, but that’s only a cover for the real deal: an event to test out the latest drugs, and auctions to buy all of them.”

“So basically a party to get high,” someone comments mockingly.

“Yes,” Minato agrees. “This will be headed by Deidara, whom I’m sure you all know is one of the Elites.”

“Deidara,” Asuma growls, no doubt recalling the last time he had to deal with him. “He’s a sneaky bastard.”

“They all are,” Minato tells him. “Regardless, this is our newest mission. I’ll be sending a team to Nami no Kuni, where the conference is going to be held, while the rest stay here and do back-up support from the network. I wish everyone luck.”

The older man claps once, signalling the end of the meeting, and everyone starts to get up their seats to leave.

“Ah, Kakashi, remain here. I have something I need to talk to you about,” Kakashi hears Minato says as he is gathering up his files. He nods and walks up to the front of the room instead, and they wait until everyone filters out.

“What is it?” Kakashi asks, a bit unnerved at the look the other is giving him.

“Kakashi,” Minato begins. “You know I don’t make it a point to invade in my subordinates’ personal lives, and I certainly do trust you, but… has there been something going on lately that you haven’t told me?”

Kakashi blinks, keeping a perfectly blank face as he answers, “Something I haven’t told you? What is this about?”

“I should be asking you that,” Minato says. “Look, I don’t want to be accusing, but this―” He gives Kakashi a stack of papers, and the latter freezes as he sees the pictures of him getting into a limousine last night, the angles looking like they were taken from a security camera from above.

 _Shit. I forgot there were security cameras in front of the gates_ , Kakashi curses internally. _Damn it, this is all Obito’s fault for wanting to pick me up right in front of the police station!_

“I don’t think I have to tell you how we all recognize that is one of Akatsuki's―more specifically Obito’s―vehicles, right? Kakashi, what happened last night?”

Kakashi flattens his lips, looking back up at the older man. “Obito had wanted to… talk. You know how he is. I’m surprised he hadn’t tried to contact me sooner, to be honest,” he says, trying to brush it off.

“Kakashi,” Minato calls out, a concerned look on his face. “I’m just worried about you.”

“You don’t have to be worried, I’m fine. Nothing happened to me.”

“Are you going to keep on insisting this?”

“Insisting what?”

Minato stares at him for a long moment, as if he’s trying to scrutinize him, making Kakashi shifts uncomfortably as a response.

“What―”

“I didn’t want to be doing this, but―” Before Kakashi can react, Minato is reaching both hands out and gripping onto the collar of his shirt, ripping it apart, the buttons flying everywhere and even hitting the monitor as a result.

“Wh―” Kakashi stutters, immediately backing away and clutching onto his shirt, frantically trying to cover his now-bare neck, but he knows. He knows from the disappointed look on Minato’s face that the latter has seen it already.

The plethora of hickeys dotting across the expanse of his pale neck and collarbones. Looking like stars in the nightsky.

All caused by Obito.

☩

“Didn’t Konan relay the message for me?” Obito murmurs, teeth scraping against the skin of his neck as he pushes Kakashi further into the couch. “That I want to make another one?”

“Ah―” Kakashi’s fingers clinches onto Obito’s arms as the latter bites down on his skin, sucking on it like a hungry beast on a piece of meat. “God, you’re a fucking vampire―”

“What does that make you then?” the other asks, one hand dropping down to cup at Kakashi’s bulge through his pants. “You’re turned on by this, aren’t you? Your body can’t lie.”

“Fuck―” Kakashi curses, eyes squeezing shut as he digs his nails into the other’s biceps. He can feel the flesh tearing underneath, and vindictively, he hopes there will be an array of crescent-shaped cuts littered all across the older man’s arms tomorrow, like how he is wrecking Kakashi’s neck right now.

“Look at this, you’re hard,” Obito tells him with a lilting tone, and Kakashi can practically feel the smirk ghosting against his skin. “You can never resist it when I touch you―”

☩

“Kakashi?”

Kakashi brings afflicted eyes up to Minato, snapping out of his flashback. The other man is giving him a… disappointed―pitying?―look, and it makes Kakashi’s skin burns with shame.

“Kakashi…” Minato calls him when he looks away. “You shouldn’t be doing this. Did he force you? We can file a lawsuit and arrest him if so―”

“No,” Kakashi states firmly, eyes still trained on the floor. “There was no force involved.”

“You mean to tell me…” Minato trails off, and Kakashi doesn’t dare to look to see his expression. Finally, he hears a sigh. “Why? Why did you let him? Kakashi―”

“Stop,” Kakashi says. “If you’re going to judge me or lecture me, then―I know, okay? I know.”

“I just… I don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Curiously, Kakashi tentatively looks up at the other man.

Minato frowns at him. “Just... why you let him do that to you. Why you’re still so taken by him after everything he’s done to you.”

Kakashi looks away again. “I…”

“I get that you… you like him, after needing to get close to him, but he’s hurt you so much,” Minato continues, cutting him. “You should try to move on―”

“I know that! Don’t you think I know that?”

“Do you?” Minato says, giving him a look. “Because if you do, then you should try looking around.”

“Huh?” Kakashi asks, confused.

“Try getting to know someone new,” Minato elaborates, “There are so many other options. We have a few young police officers too in our division, like Asuma. Or if you don’t want to date a colleague, I can introduce you one of my juniors in college. Someone nice. Move on, Kakashi. You don’t have to keep up the act anymore. That act of you belonging to Obito. He doesn’t own you anymore.”

 _I don’t belong to Obito? He doesn’t own me?_ Kakashi repeats to himself, and doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or cry as the memories from last night overtake him again…

☩

“Look at you,” Obito murmurs, a smooth velvety voice, as he snaps his hips, thrusting into Kakashi. “Look at the way your body is spread for me, like you were made for my cock. You were made to take me in, weren’t you, ‘Kashi?”

Kakashi whimpers, his vision blurring as Obito continues to fuck into him relentlessly, driving his body into the cushion. The screeching sounds of the couch legs sliding across the marble floor from the force of Obito’s thrusts are ringing inside Kakashi’s ears right now, and he can’t think―he can’t think―

“Look at how hard you are,” Obito coos as he curls a hand around Kakashi’s member, swiping a thumb over the precome already collected there. “Your body is so responsive over everything I do, and that’s because that’s all it ever knows. It only ever knows me.”

“Obito―” Kakashi gasps as Obito starts to stroke him.

“You have only ever known my touch. You will only ever know my touch,” Obito declares. “Because you belong to me―Your body, your mind, your heart―everything of yours belongs to me. Do you hear me, Kakashi?” Obito growls, leaning down and practically bending Kakashi in half in the process. “Tell me, who do you belong to?”

“I… Ah―” Kakashi whines as Obito nibbles on his ear, a tongue flicking out teasingly. “Obito, don’t stop―” he tells the other as he notices Obito has come to a halt, remaining still inside Kakashi.

“Then answer my question,” the older man whispers into his ear.

“I―” his voice breaks off into a moan as Obito resumes the thrusts, but at a much slower and more languid pace than before, each one hitting deep inside Kakashi, brushing right against his prostate.

“Kakashi,” Obito prompts, each syllable dripping off like honey.

Clenching his fingers on the other’s shoulders, Kakashi closes his eyes and breathes out slowly. “I belong to you. I belong to you, Obito. You’re my first, the only one I’ve ever loved, and the only one I will ever love.”

Suddenly, there are lips pressed against his, kissing him deeply. “Fuck, I’ve missed this so much,” Obito mumbles against his lips, breath fanning his face. “I missed you―kissing you, touching you, fucking you, hearing your pretty moans―”

“Then do all of it,” Kakashi mewls, moving his hips to fuck himself on Obito’s cock. “Kiss me. Touch me. Fuck me―”

“Shh, I’ve got you, baby. I’m going to give you what you want,” Obito whispers, brushing his hair back and pecking his forehead gently. “I’ll fuck you and mark you and do anything you want, because you’re mine,” he says before resuming his vigorous thrusting. “I will be the only one who will ever touch you, understood?”

“Yes,” Kakashi replies mindlessly at the commanding tone in the other’s voice.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Obito grunts with every snap of his hips into Kakashi. “Do you feel this? Answer me, ‘Kashi.”

“Yes, yes I do,” Kakashi chokes at a particularly hard thrust, and his thighs are shaking, legs dangling helplessly in the air. “Fuck me harder, please―”

“Always so good for me. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Did you miss this? Did you miss me, ‘Kashi?”

“Yes—I did,” Kakashi struggles to answer amidst all the poundings in his ears. “I miss your touch, I miss what it was like to feel you inside me―”

“Like this?” Obito growls as he thrusts in, imbedding himself further inside Kakashi, making the latter let out a startled gasp.

“Yes, fuck me harder,” Kakashi whimpers, fingers grasping Obito’s shoulders. Obito is thick and hard inside him, gliding against his walls with every thrust, and he feels like he’s burning up from the inside out, every touch of Obito’s fingers skimming against his skin alit with fire. “More, Obito. Fuck me like you own me―”

“You’re really going to be the death of me, Kakashi,” Obito hisses, eyes flashing before they darken with lust, and Kakashi feels a shiver passing through him when he takes a look at the black depths of the other’s orbs. “You want me to fuck you hard? You really missed my cock, didn’t you? You’re always going to be good for my cock, aren’t you, ‘Kashi?”

“Yes I will, please please―” Kakashi stutters brokenly, his mind threatening to black out due to the mind-numbing pleasure of the cock inside him hitting against his prostate with every harsh thrust. He lets out a keen as Obito pulls out and snaps his hips back with force, rocking their bodies together. He feels himself getting pushed forward from the sheer force as the older man fucks into him with powerful thrusts, splintering his world into cracks of white.

“No one will ever make you feel this good but me,” Obito grunts into his ear, hand wrapping around Kakashi’s member and stroking him in time with his thrusts, and all Kakashi can do is claw at the couch fabric beneath him, brain short-circuiting and filthy moans spilling from his lips.

“Come for me, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi wheezes as Obito continues to abuse his prostate mercilessly, his vision splintering and his eyes rolling back at the pleasure. Before he knows it, a wave of pleasures smashes through his veins, his body convulsing and his toes curling as white spills from his cock, splattering all over Obito’s hand and his own stomach.

☩

“―the first person for you,” Minato is saying as reality slowly emerges before him again. “It was a mistake to send you to him when you were so new, so susceptible to everything. I should’ve listened to Yahiko, but I let my thirst for vengeance get the best of me.”

Kakashi grimaces at the anguished look on the other’s face.

“But you don’t have to do that anymore. You are free now, Kakashi. Free to look around. Free to explore your options. Or just tell me, what kind of guys do you like? Or a girl? I will find them for you.”

“Find… someone else…?”

“Yes!” Minato exclaims, an exasperated look on his face. “You are not under Obito’s control anymore. You can be with someone who is nice and can make you happy. Someone who won’t hurt you―”

Minato’s mouth continues to move, but Kakashi’s mind is phasing him out, the other’s voice but a distant sound as he thinks about the words he’s just heard.

Kakashi hasn’t thought about it until now, but Minato is right. Now that he’s no longer an undercover, he can be with someone else now. He can try to love someone else.

The only question is… Can he really do that? Try loving someone else?

Does he even _want_ to do that?

Kakashi smiles bitterly to himself, fully knowing the answers to those questions.

Because despite everything, he knows that he meant every word he said to Obito last night.

☩

“Start packing your bags. You’ll be going with me on a trip,” Obito tells Kisame as he walks into the office with the other man trailing after him.

“A trip?”

Obito nods. “To Nami no Kuni.”

“Nami no Kuni…” Kisame repeats, processing the information. “For Deidara’s conference? I thought you wouldn’t usually attend these events unless you arranged them yourself or you were invited by someone you couldn’t decline. You usually leave these things to us.”

“Yes,” he agrees. “But this particular event is a little… special.”

The other raises an eyebrow. “Special?”

Obito hums. “Mnn, there will be some very important guests that will attend, so I have to be there to… welcome them, you see. I really, really can’t wait,” he murmurs, the corner of his lips slowly curling into a mysterious smirk.

☩

Kakashi is walking back from the supermarket, swinging a bag in one of his hands. It’s two days before his flight to Nami no Kuni, and frankly, he just wants to drown himself in warm water and not think about anything related to it until then.

Too bad life never goes his way.

He halts his steps at the bright red Lamborghini parked right on the street in front of the entrance to his apartment complex. There’s someone leaning against it, sunglasses perched stylishly on top of his head.

“Deidara.”

“Hey Kakashi!” the blond-haired man chirps. “It sure takes you awhile to go shopping, huh? I’ve been waiting here forever!”

Kakashi scowls. He left his place about fifteen minutes ago, so Deidara couldn’t have been waiting for more than ten minutes at most. “What do you want?”

“Don’t be so hostile, it hurts my heart, you know,” Deidara tells him, clutching a hand at his chest dramatically. “After all, we used to be buddies, right? Not the closest, but you were one of us, so I see you like a brother.”

“No thanks,” he replies blandly. “Seriously, what is it?”

Deidara smirks, hopping onto the pavement to stand before him. “Sometimes I miss that awkward kid you were when we were first introduced, back when Yahi―”

The other man suddenly snaps his mouth shut, and Kakashi lifts his eyes up to look at him. When they were first introduced… that was the day he was taken to that warehouse to try out a new drug, when he had met Deidara and Sasori.

When it was Yahiko who had introduced him to both of them.

“Well,” Deidara says, a bright smile on his face, as if the pause just now didn’t happen. “I’m just here to give you an invitation.”

“Invitation?” Kakashi asks, distracted by the envelope in the other’s hand.

“Yes. You must know I’m having a conference this weekend, right? It’s a pretty big event, you know, since I’m the one hosting it,” he gloats. “So here, an invitation. Just show this and you should be able to get in easily, although… you might be able to get in regardless, just by your name alone.”

Kakashi scoffs, staring down at the proffered envelope.

“You know, right? There isn’t anyone in Akatsuki who doesn’t know who you are. You’re like, an idol! So cool~” Deidara singsongs.

“As if,” Kakashi huffs. The other pushes the envelope closer to him, and Kakashi hesitates a bit before taking it.

“Great! I’ll see you there, Kakashi!” Deidara exclaims, grinning. “Ah, but… take note, this invitation is only extended to you, okay? Others aren’t quite… welcomed,” he adds, wiggling his fingers to mimic a wave before getting inside his car and driving away.

Kakashi stands there disbelievingly as he watches the vehicle gets further and further away. What was that just now? Does this mean Akatsuki already know the police will be coming? If so, then what do they want by inviting Kakashi into the conference officially?

What exactly is Deidara trying to achieve, and does Obito have anything to do with it?

At the thought of Obito, Kakashi suddenly feels nauseous. So much for wanting a peaceful few days before the mission, Kakashi grumbles to himself as he stomps up the stairs to go back inside his apartment.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might not be very... enjoyable, but it’s uh, necessary to the plot lol

“Apparently, the opening ceremony of this conference will be a Phantom of the Opera theme,” Minato tells them at the meeting the next day.

“Phantom of the Opera theme?”

“A mask party,” he clarifies. “Everyone will arrive at the conference in masks, and there’ll be an opening masquerade ball for the first two hours or so. There’ll even be an event at the end that will crown the two best ensembles, with prizes. Afterward, everyone will take off their masks as they watch Deidara’s presentation and discuss business strategies. It’s not until late into the night that the conference will unveil to what it truly is: a drug showcase and auction.”

“So our best bet to infiltrate is during the masquerade?” Asuma asks.

“Yes,” Minato nods. “We can fake some invitations and have our team go in. Everyone will be wearing masks and covering their faces so hopefully no one will recognize some of our more… well-known members.”

Kakashi feels like the older man is talking about him in the last sentence, but what he doesn’t know is that, well, Kakashi is actually officially invited, so it won’t matter either way if he’s recognized or not.

The invitation envelope sits heavily inside the folder underneath his palms.

“The place it’s held at is right on top of a cliff, looking out into the ocean. There is actually an aqueduct system that connects from the building’s basement to a reservoir far away, since it’s located basically in the middle of nowhere. We can hide in there if need be. Although there are plenty of rooms to use, too. Intel says the building has a total of 102 rooms.”

“That’s like a fucking palace,” Asuma comments, scowling.

“Akatsuki is rich, nothing new,” Orochimaru says, shrugging.

“Anyways, that’s the plan. You all know what our mission is, correct? Lying low until the drugs are brought out. Then we can capture everyone involved for illegal usage and distribution. Be patient until then, understood? None of you are to move out and act hastily on your own until you go over it with me and I give you explicit permission to do so.”

“Yes, sir,” everyone in the room chorus.

“Good, meeting adjourned, then,” Minato says, nodding. “I wish you all luck. I’ll be here providing backup support through your earpieces.”

People start to filter out after, but Kakashi remains, grabbing the folder on the table before walking up to the front of the room.

“You won’t be going with us?” he asks, eyes widening.

Minato shakes his head. “I need to be here to give out directions to everyone. I won’t be able to monitor our progress if I’m busy trying not to get caught, too.”

“Oh…”

Minato stares at him for a long moment, inscrutable. Then, he lifts an arm up, placing his hand on Kakashi’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “Kakashi,” he says. “Be careful, okay? And remember, you’re stronger than you think you are.”

Kakashi gives him a nod. “Okay, I will.”

☩

The sounds of the waves crashing against the cliff thunder in his eardrums as Kakashi steps foot out the car. Already, there are hundreds of people gathering outside the entrance, talking leisurely around the gigantic fountain in the middle of the courtyard, faces hidden by intricate, embellished masks and wearing stylish costumes.

It’s like a scene from a movie.

“Like a scene from a movie, isn’t it?” a voice comments next to him, and Kakashi turns his head to see Orochimaru to his right, face also covered in a light violet mask, sparkling against the faded golden lights of the bulbs decorating the gates surrounding them.

“Yeah…” Kakashi replies, taking in the scene before him. He is wearing a silvery mask himself, with tiny diamonds adorned along the curve of his cheekbones, glimmering against his pale skin.

“Nervous?”

“…A little,” he admits. Only because he has no idea what Akatsuki is planning, and if they’re walking into a trap or not. But the police aren’t stupid either, right? Not Minato, not Orochimaru, nor Asuma.

They can deal with whatever Akatsuki will throw at them, right?

“Don’t worry, kid. Just act natural. Everything will be fine,” Orochimaru says, giving him a comforting smile, and Kakashi finds himself smiling back.

“Thanks. Let’s go in, then,” he says, signalling to his men behind him. There’s a “Roger” from various voices through the tiny chip inside his ear hidden by his hair, and on cue, everyone scatters. They had planned to go in separately as to not attract attention.

Kakashi goes in last, waiting until everyone is already in. As he approaches the stairs that lead to the entrance, he gnaws on his lip.

Should he use the fake invitation Minato gave him, or the real one from Deidara?

Will Akatsuki be smart enough to identify the fake ones and automatically know he is from the police despite his face hidden by the mask? But if the real one is given, will they know he is Hatake Kakashi, then? Although the invitation itself doesn’t actually have his name on it, and just seems like a normal, generic invitation card…

 _Fine, you want me to come? Then I’ll come_ , Kakashi decides, walking up to the check-in table at the front and handing them the official card.

“Welcome! You’re checked-in, please enjoy the event!” says the person working there, and with that, Kakashi is in.

They haven’t mentioned anything about his name, but still…

Well, no point in dwelling about it now, Kakashi tells himself, stepping into the parlor. There are people everywhere his eyes can see, beautiful, shimmering masks covering their faces. He can see some of his team talking to various people, most likely to gather information, and makes his way towards the side, where the dishes are displayed on elongated tables.

Munching on some grapes he’s just gotten, Kakashi stands and looks around. He wonders if he can recognize any of the Elites with their masks on. Well, it might be easy to identify Deidara, since he’s the host of the party and no doubt will make a spectacle of himself, standing out. But the others…

He wonders who else is attending.

He wonders if Obito is attending, too.

Letting out a small sigh, Kakashi finishes the dish and weaves his way through the crowd of people towards the far-end of the room, intending to find Orochimaru or Asuma.

He doesn’t have to search long, for he spots Orochimaru at a small corner at the intersection of the corridor. The older man gestures for them to go inside the room beside him, and Kakashi nods, following.

“Where have you been, Minato’s been trying to talk to you.”

“Oh, he has? Sorry, I think my earpiece isn’t working too well,” Kakashi replies. “Do the others have the same problem?”

“Kakashi!” Minato exclaims in his ear. “I can hear you now, finally.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what’s wrong…”

“It’s fine. There are others who are having the same problem, too. You guys are at a place too far away and too elevated. It’s interfering with the signal.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Anyways, there’s been a change of plan,” Minato tells him. “After the masquerade ends, the majority of us are going to congregate in the aqueducts instead.”

“Only there?”

“We were planning to spread out inside the various rooms, since it would be closer to the lounge where the drug showcase would be taking place,” Orochimaru speaks up. “But, well, as you can see, too many guests are using the rooms for their more… private pleasures.”

“Oh, right…” Kakashi says, cringing as he recalls the moans filtering out from the rooms he’s walked past.

“Too many guests are using the rooms, and we’re at a higher risk of being seen if we use them, too. So I’ve decided that the majority of you will wait down in the basement, where there’s a passageway connecting to the aqueducts, instead. A select few, not well-known members will be keeping watch over the auction, and tell us when’s the time to strike.”

 _I can be at the auction, too, and no one will say a thing_ , Kakashi thinks. All he says back, though, is, “Okay, I understand.”

“Good. Now how to tell the rest of the members whose earpieces aren’t working either this plan…” Minato says.

“I’ll continue to look around. I’ve spread the news to some already,” Orochimaru looks at Kakashi. “Will you help?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Alright, that’s the plan, then,” Minato finalizes.

Both of them nod before walking out, turning to different directions.

Kakashi continues walking down the corridor and manages to tell a few other comrades, until he comes across a huge, glass door on the side. It’s the door to the balcony, and he can see the nightsky outside through the glass.

He opens it and walks out, wanting to get some fresh air and clear his mind. The crashing of the waves below thunders in his ears, and he smiles, breathing in the fresh smell of the ocean.

That is, until he spots a lone figure at the far-end, leaning against the railings. Even from this distance, Kakashi can see the mask on his face―a vivid blood-red color, with golden markings running intricately down the curve of his cheekbones.

A mask fitting for a king.

Or a devil.

Upon seeing the smile on the other man’s face, Kakashi sucks in a breath and resumes walking, a hand reaching up to flick the switch on his earpiece off.

The sounds of the waves lapping against the cliff beneath their feet continue to roar inside his ears as he finally comes to a stop in front of the other man.

There’s a moon behind the man, casting a shadow over half his face, and Kakashi finds himself unable to breathe as he watches the smile widens, the lips parting.

“It’s a beautiful night out, isn’t it?” the man asks. “Kashi.”

Kakashi exhales shakily as Obito wraps a hand around his wrist, a gentle touch, and tugs him closer. His other arm reaches up to trace over the tiny diamonds on Kakashi’s mask.

Another smile. “Of course, it’s nothing compared to you,” he murmurs, voice gliding smoothly as he trails two fingers down Kakashi’s cheek and across his jawline.

“Why are you here?” Kakashi asks, a muted sound.

“It’s an Akatsuki event, why wouldn’t I be here?” Obito answers, chuckling. “Although… I do want to see you again.”

“Obito…”

“As exquisite as that mask looks on you,” Obito says, hooking fingers inside the mask, “I do prefer seeing your full face better.” With that, he takes it off Kakashi, and Kakashi feels so raw, so exposed, like this, while looking at the mask still covering Obito’s face.

Before Kakashi can do anything, though, the other speaks again.

“Now, why are you here?”

“…You guys invited me.”

“That we did. But why did you choose to come?”

Kakashi keeps quiet, gazing at the warm smile on the older’s face.

“Are you perhaps here to fulfill your promise?”

Kakashi widens his eyes.

“Why do you look so surprised? Isn’t that what we’re both after?” Obito asks, tilting his head at him like he’s very confused.

“Why…” Kakashi starts, the words beneath his tongue feeling like lead. “Why do you want me to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Fulfill my promise.”

“Because I already won my part of the bet. Now it’s time for you, too.”

“But why?” Kakashi presses, frustrated. “Why do you want me to win? Do you want to die that badly?”

“It’s not like I particularly want or not want to die,” Obito answers nonchalantly. “It’s just, I thought, I wanted to see what it's like.”

“To die?” Kakashi gasps.

Obito shakes his head. “No. To lose.”

“What?”

“I have been winning my whole life, ‘Kashi,” Obito tells him, his thumb gently tracing circles on the skin of Kakashi’s palm. “Anything I’ve wanted, I’ve achieved. Sometimes, I wonder what it’ll be like to lose, for once. And then I think, oh, it won’t be so bad if you’re the one I lose to.”

“Obito…” Kakashi exhales shakily, bringing perturbed eyes up at him. “You’re fucking crazy―”

“So everyone says,” the other replies, shrugging.

Before Kakashi can react, there’s a hand at his back, pushing him closer to the older man. For a moment, Kakashi thinks he’s going to get kissed or bitten again, but Obito simply steadies the other hand at the back of his head, guiding him to look over Obito’s shoulder.

“Hey, ‘Kashi,” he murmurs. “Do you see it?”

Kakashi blinks, staring at the ocean before him, stretching as far as the eyes can see. Below, he can see gleaming specks of whites despite the darkness of the night―from the waves crashing against the bottom of the cliff.

 _It will be a long way down to the bottom_ , Kakashi reflects.

“It would be a long way down to the bottom,” Obito voices out his thoughts. “Wouldn’t it?”

Then, he pulls Kakashi back, gracing him with another sweet smile. Slowly, he raises their intertwined hands, and puts Kakashi’s palm flat on his chest, where his heart is.

“Now’s your chance, ‘Kashi.”

“My chance for what?” Kakashi asks, almost hysterically as he can feel the calm, steady beatings of Obito’s heart.

“Just one push, and you can fulfill your promise,” Obito tells him. “No one can survive that fall. I’m only human, Kakashi.”

“You want me to―” Kakashi’s voice cracks, unable to continue further.

“Push me, ‘Kashi. Let’s end this bet once and for all.”

“I―”

“Your life will be so much easier if I’m gone,” Obito confesses. “Aren’t you tired of this? So come on, do it.”

“Obito―”

“Do it,” Obito intones, his voice echoing morbidly inside Kakashi’s ears. “Do it now. Push me.”

Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut, the palm bracing against Obito’s chest shaking uncontrollably.

“Kill me, ‘Kashi.”

With a choked sound, Kakashi opens his eyes and pushes, watching as Obito starts to fall backwards, right into the endless depths of the ocean.

☩

_FIVE YEARS AGO,_

“Ah, boss!”

Obito looks up at the shout, walking into the lounge area of Amaterasu. As expected, the Elites table is crowded, the members congregating and looking to be playing some sort of card game.

“Good timing, boss! You should try this, too!” Deidara says excitedly, spreading a few cards onto the table.

“Yeah? What are you guys playing?” Obito asks, taking a seat.

“We’re not playing a game; these are tarot cards,” Deidara explains, showing him the cards. “I did a reading for Kisame just now!”

Obito raises an eyebrow at the mentioned man. “I wasn’t aware you were into fortune telling.”

The other coughes. “I―I was just curious. Deidara said he’s been into this lately, so I just wanted to try it out. For his sake, you know. Testing his abilities.”

Nagato snorts. “If you say so.” At Obito’s curious look directed towards him, he informs, “I’m just here watching them because, you know, boredom.”

“Sure you are,” a voice resounds mischievously, and Deidara lights up.

“Ah, our newbie! Do come join us, too!”

“Do not call me a ‘newbie’ like a kid. I’m older than you,” the woman wrinkles her nose, taking a seat next to Obito.

“Yes, but you just joined, Konan, so you’re a newbie to us. Don’t worry, I got subjected to the same treatment for monthssss.” Deidara frowns, recalling the memories.

Obito lets out a chuckle, watching the scene. “I think it’s great that all my Elites get along so well.”

Konan perks up as Nagato scoffs. “Of course, boss! It’s all thanks to your splendid leadership.”

“I agree,” Kisame chimes in. “Ever since you became the boss of Akatsuki, we have been flourishing and gotten so prominent. In just a year, we have risen from a subpar, tiny group to an expansive mafia organization, feared by many. We’re in the top three most powerful now.”

“And we will be number one soon,” Obito states, without a doubt, and the others all nod, agreeing.

“Then let’s see what the coming years will bring forth for our revered boss, shall we?” Deidara chimes in. “Want me to do a reading for you, boss?”

“Sure, why not?” Obito answers, shrugging nonchalantly as Deidara giddily shuffles the cards and then places them face-down onto the table in neat rows and columns.

“Alright. First, let’s see your past,” Deidara says, flipping three of the cards one by one. “An Upright Fool, Upright World, and Reversed Devil. They signify endings, of new beginnings. The Reversed Devil can mean detachments, of breaking free. Temptations. You are your own worst enemy.”

Obito chuckles, a deep sound. “Not bad. It’s surprisingly accurate.”

“See, I’ve been studying and practicing on this!” Deidara says, pointing a finger at Nagato and Kisame. “And you guys took me as a joke!”

“So what next?” Konan asks, eager.

“These are his cards for the present, the immediate future,” Deidara replies, revealing the next three cards. “Wow… Chariot, Magician, and Emperor, all in Upright position… Success, control, victory―you name it. They’re all ridiculously positive cards,” he marvels.

“That’s good to hear,” Obito remarks idly. It’s not like he ever had doubts about his current momentum, but it’s nice to hear.

“Alright, last one! Your future,” Deidara announces enthusiastically. “Let’s see… an Upright Judgement, Reversed Temperance, and… Oh.”

“What’s the last card?” Obito asks, glancing at the one remaining.

“It’s a Tower,” Kisame speaks up. “I got one too for my future, but it was Reversed. Yours is Upright.”

“Upright cards are good, right?” Konan asks.

“Not in the case of the Tower,” Deidara says grimly. “It means a foreboding. An upheaval. Confrontation. Things you didn’t want to face but must face. A life-changing event. The truths will be laid bare. Something must be lost, and there will be something else you will gain in return. ”

“So basically… not a good card,” Nagato remarks.

“Generally, no. If you can overcome your struggles, it will lead to new beginnings, but otherwise… something will appear in your future, and it shall be your demise.”

“Hmn…” Obito hums, tilting his head and gazing in morbid fascination at the one ominous card on the table. “Is that so? I’ll be looking forward to it, then.”

☩

For one long, utterly silent moment, all Obito can take in is the fiery depths glowing inside Kakashi’s orbs as he falls backwards, the air shifting itself to make way for gravity to pull him down.

 _These are the eyes that had intrigued me in the past_ , Obito thinks mildly to himself, _the ones that had caught my attention and haven’t let go since_ , and a small smile graces his face as he allows himself to drop further into the dark abyss below.

Just as his feet are about to no longer touch the ground and all he can see are the twinklings of the stars as far as his eyes can see, there are suddenly two strong grips at his wrists, jerking him, and the world right itself back again as he experiences vertigo, blinking to sharpen his vision again.

“You fucked me up,” Obito hears a voice hissing close to his ear and feels lips brushing against the side of his neck. “I’m fucked up, Obito. I’ve probably been fucked up since the first time you butchered someone so grotesquely right in front of my fifteen-years-old self’s eyes. When you killed my dad.”

Obito remains quiet. He wants to turn his head around to see Kakashi’s face, but the raspiness of Kakashi’s voice and the bruising grips at his wrists are like invisible strings, keeping him still.

“You said you wanted to break me, and congrats. You really did break me. You dragged me down to this hell with you and now I can’t leave. I don’t even know if I want to leave―that’s how fucked up I’ve become.”

One of Kakashi’s hand slides up to lay palm-flat on Obito’s chest, and the latter stares down at the long fingers on him, pale against the glitterings of the moon and stars above.

“You said you want me to kill you. You said my life would be much easier with you gone, and you’re right―it probably would be. But that would accomplish nothing. Because then I’d just be a ruthless murderer like you.”

The hand then slithers its way smoothly from his chest up to his neck before stopping at his cheek, cupping it. It’s then that Kakashi turns Obito’s face around, and the latter can finally see Kakashi’s face.

“You fucked me up, Obito,” Kakashi murmurs, and his expression is strangely calm, his eyes strangely serene and earnest, like he’s giving a confession to God. “You broke me. And I probably won’t ever be _normal_ again, but… I’m not so far gone that I don’t remember what my goal was.”

“Your goal…?” Obito utters, finally speaking up.

Kakashi nods, caressing Obito’s face. “My dream. It was to be like my dad. I wanted to be like him, to be as upright and justice like him. I wanted to be a good cop, Obito. Like my dad.” Here, his voice breaks a little, and he sniffles, like he’s trying to hold down his tears.

“Kakashi…”

“And you know what? Good cops don’t kill people. They bring them to the police station instead. They bring them to stand before a court, a judge. Because bad guys should get judged, and you. You, Obito―”

Obito holds his breath as Kakashi comes closer, lips brushing against his in the most fleeting of touch.

“―You belong in jail,” he whispers into Obito’s mouth softly. “And maybe by that time, I’ll be in jail right along with you, but right now. This. We can’t end like this.”

With that, Kakashi pulls away, like a butterfly that has managed to escape its net.

“That is not how we’re going to end. Not like this. I won’t kill you, Obito. Not like this,” Kakashi says, putting his mask back on his face, and, oh, Obito was so distracted he hadn’t even noticed the younger man taking it off his hand just now.

Flashing him one last slight smile, Kakashi starts walking away, leaving Obito to stare transfixedly at his back.

He remains that way for a long, long time, even after Kakashi has gotten inside and disappeared from his vision. The wind is blowing softly, ruffling his hair as Obito stares blankly ahead, deep in thought.

Finally, a small, low chuckle bubbles out from the depths of his throat, a dry, cracked, but pleased sound.

From a far corner of his mind, Obito suddenly recalls Deidara’s words to him from that day years ago.

“Something will appear in your future, and it shall be your demise,” he mouths, repeating the words.

Taking in a deep breath, Obito wipes a palm over his face and exhales slowly. Lips curl into a satisfied smile.

“My demise, huh… I’ll really be looking forward to it then, ‘Kashi.”

☩

“The masquerade is about to end,” Orochimaru tells him when they met up. “Most of our members are already in the basement save for a few. Will you be joining them?”

Kakashi shakes his head. “I’ll be hiding in one of the rooms. I want to be close to the main event in case anything happens.”

“I understand.”

“What about you?” Kakashi asks. Do Akatsuki know the face of Orochimaru? He became Minato’s new second-in-command recently, but it seems like he’s been following the case of Akatsuki further than that.

The other hums lightly. “Same as you. I’ll be around.”

Kakashi nods, moving to leave.

He’s halfway down the corridor when he hears the announcement from the intercom stating that the crowning event will happen soon, signalling the end to the masquerade ball.

“―And brace yourselves,” Deidara’s voice rings loud through the overhead speakers, “because after this event, something spectacular will be happening. But I’m sure you already knew that, didn’t you, my dear guests?”

Kakashi frowns. Something spectacular? According to Minato, the presentation is next up on the list. What’s so special about that?

“So do proceed accordingly! Remember, Akatsuki won’t be held accountable for your actions if you decide to act dumb, capiche?”

There’s a ringing of laughter in the main room from the guests as they listen to Deidara’s cheeky words, but all Kakashi feels is confusion. It almost looks as if… they’re in on something, that the police don’t know.

Kakashi turns around, planning to go into a room to have some quiet to think this over, when a voice calls out, “Not gonna stay?”

He looks back to see someone flashing a Cheshire cat grin at him from beneath an elaborate mask.

“You might get crowned, you know. The prize’s pretty nice―Deidara and I decided on it ourselves.”

At the red hair, the familiarity of the voice, and the continuous grin, Kakashi flattens his lips. “Sasori.”

“Yo! How’s the party so far? Rocking, right? It’s declared as Deidara’s party, but it’s half of my work, too. Next time I’m throwing a party, he’d better pitch in, too. It’s only fair, am I right?”

“Uhh…” Kakashi grunts, not sure where the red-haired man is going with this as he continues to blabber about trivial things. “Sasori, I gotta go.”

The other man suddenly shuts up, lips spreading into an impish grin again. “Right. You’re busy, I get it. It was nice seeing you again!”

Kakashi ducks his head awkwardly as a greeting, before turning around. What is with Akatsuki and them acting all normal with Kakashi, like he's still a member of the Elites? Did Obito make them do this? Do they just not care? What do they want from him? It’s all very disconcerting and aggravating to Kakashi.

“Ah, wait, Kakashi!” the other calls out as he reaches a corner. “Keep it in the rooms, yeah? The boss would have our heads if there’s even a speck of dust on your pretty little face.”

Kakashi’s frown deepens, taking one last look back to see Sasori’s cheery wave at him, and scoffs. He speeds up his walking as he weaves further through the hallways, intending to go find his teammates. He has no idea where Orochimaru is, but the rest should be down in the basement hiding, so that’s where he’s planning to go.

He’s just turned into a new path when he sees a shadowy figure at the far end, seemingly waiting for him.

“Kakashi.”

He pauses, narrowing his eyes at the person standing before him. How is everyone recognizing him even with his mask on? Is he just that easily identified? Is it his hair?

He sighs to himself. _I knew I should’ve worn a wig._

The other takes off his mask, and Kakashi lets out a soft “Oh,” at the face. “Kisame.”

Kisame smiles at him. “Hi, Kakashi. It’s been awhile.”

“Yeah, it has…” Kakashi says. The last time he’s met the other was when he was trying to get some information out of him. He hadn’t seen him again ever since he got reinstated as a police officer, and Kakashi wonders what the other thinks of him now.

“You know, I’ve always wondered why you were in the mafia because it didn’t suit you at all. But you were a cop all along.”

“Umn, yeah…” Kakashi shifts his feet awkwardly. “Are you mad I lied to you?”

Kisame shakes his head, to the other’s surprise. “When I found out who you really were, I was… glad to be honest.” At Kakashi’s raised eyebrow, he elaborates, “I told you, didn’t I, that this life didn’t suit you. You are a good person.”

Kakashi holds back a grimace. “I’m not… all that good.”

“You are,” the other says. “At least in our fucked up world. That’s why I can’t let you go on.”

Kakashi frowns at this. “Huh?”

“The way you were going,” Kisame says, expression serious. “You’re trying to go downstairs, right? To where the aqueducts are? To where your comrades are?”

“Yeah…?” No point in lying when it seems like the other has already known, anyways.

“Just stay here. Don’t go down there.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not safe―”

Alarms ring in Kakashi’s head. It’s not safe… down there? Does this mean Akatsuki have already planned for something horrendous to happen? Apparently, they know that’s where Kakashi’s team congregate, so this means…

“Shit,” Kakashi curses to himself, dashing down the hallway and ignoring the shouts of Kisame telling him not to. He’s got to go warn them, they’re in danger―

Suddenly, there’s a grip enclosing around his wrist as he turns at a corner, jerking him back.

“You shouldn’t continue further,” a voice whispers into his ear as his back collides with a firm chest.

“Wha―Obito?” Kakashi asks, instantly recognizing the voice. “What are you doing, let me go―”

“Wouldn’t want your pretty face to get marred,” the other continues breezingly, turning Kakashi around to face him and holding him tightly inside his embrace despite Kakashi’s struggles. “Just stand back and enjoy the show, hmn?” He easily flips their position so that he’s now the one with his back facing the direction of the basement, shielding Kakashi’s body from whatever about to come with a hand cradling the back of Kakashi’s head, tucking his face into Obito’s shoulder.

Before Kakashi can question what he means, an explosion sounds off, ringing deafeningly inside his ears. He watches in horror as the hallway before him collapses, tile by tile, falling down into the pitch-black depths below. The windows are breaking, the strong ocean wind gushing in like the wrath of a tornado, flinging broken glass every direction as the stench of smoke and fire continue to spread throughout the entire building.

Amidst all the chaos―debris flying everywhere and a stream of water starts flooding out from below―Obito’s hands around him and his body pressed securely against his are the only anchor for Kakashi to hold onto.

☩

TWO HOURS LATER,

Kakashi scowls, crossing his arms as he stares in irritation at the only other person in the room walking around, brushing fingers through the plain grey walls like there is some deep secret etched within them.

“Sit the fuck down.”

Obito tilts his head, finally looking at him. “God, you’re so fucking hot when you curse.”

Kakashi inhales sharply, fingernails digging into his own arms as his eyes flit to the camera on the ceiling, where he knows Minato and some of his teammates are watching.

“Is that any way for a policeman to talk to a common citizen, though? Did they not teach you guys proper conducts at the academy?”

Kakashi exhales, screaming at himself to calm down as he grits out, “My apologies. Please have a seat, Mr. Uchiha Obito.”

“That’s better,” Obito says, pleased and smiling, and Kakashi just wants to punch that smile off his face. But he can’t―not here―

He waits until Obito settles onto the chair opposite him before he does the same thing. Now, they’re separated by a small table in this otherwise vacant room.

“Alright. Let’s talk,” Kakashi states, trying to sound assertive as he opens the folder, flipping through the pages. “Beginning with the reasons why you’re here at the police station in the first place.”

Infuriatingly, Obito simply gives him a sickeningly sweet smile. “I thought it was because you were so desperate for an excuse to see me, you had forced me onto that helicopter and flew me here, just so we can be alone in a room together.”

Kakashi swallows back a huff, resisting the urge to lash out at the other’s absolutely ridiculous assumption.

This is going to be a very long night.

“At approximately 8:03 p.m. today, an explosion sounded off from the basement of the penthouse located off the shore of Nami no Kuni. Can you explain the reasons why, Mr. Uchiha Obito?”

The man in question shrugs, the expensive suit stretching across his shoulders at the movement. “I’ve already told you all I know. There was an overheating problem in one of the pipes in the Aqueducts. It ruptured and then it was like a chain reaction―until the entire basement that it was connected to collapsed.”

“There was a party being held at the place. Mr. Deidara was the host. But upon further investigations, the deed to the penthouse was to you―you’re the legal owner of that place.”

Obito gives him a small smile. “Yes. That’s why I’m the one sitting here being interrogated instead of Deidara, am I not?”

“Oh, I assure you, everyone at the party will be questioned in due time.” _It just takes time since there were a few hundred guests at the party and the police simply don’t have enough manpower to question them all in a timely manner_ , Kakashi thinks petulantly.

“Alright. But I don’t see how me being here will help. I am but a hapless friend who had lent one of my various penthouses to another friend so he could host a party. Maybe you should investigate that busted pipe instead.”

“The busted pipe that was supposed to be under your care,” Kakashi shoots back.

“I do admit my negligence,” the other concedes. “And it is my fault I did not do a thorough check of the condition of the place before letting a party be hosted there. I will make sure to offer monetary compensations for all the losses.”

Kakashi sucks in a sharp breath, face fuming. “Losses of close to twenty policemen who got killed due to the explosion.”

“Ah, but you see,” Obito starts, tilting his head in the most innocent of manners, “note how you said policemen. Note how you didn’t say any of Deidara’s guests died―because they didn’t. Not a single one of our guests died.”

“That’s―”

“Why didn’t they die?” Obito barrels through. “Because they weren’t in the basement when the explosion happened! Because there was no reason for them to be! Now why would twenty-something policemen be, hmn, hiding down there? Since I’m pretty sure we didn’t invite any policemen to our party. Well, except you, that is.”

Kakashi scratches his fingernails into the smooth granite of the table. He’s been had. They’ve been had―by Akatsuki.

“It’s so puzzling, really,” Obito brings an index finger to his bottom lip, tapping it lightly―the perfect picture of innocence. “What were those policemen doing down there, uninvited? Were they trespassing? You know I can sue them for that right―Oh wait, I can’t. They’re dead!”

“Jesus, Obito,” Kakashi stares at the other despairingly, momentarily forgetting to maintain his role. “You’re fucking―cruel―”

At this, Obito suddenly looks at him, and Kakashi feels his heart in his throat at the softest gaze he’s seen from the other for a long time―since before everything went to absolute shit six months ago.

It’s that gentle, loving look that never fails to make Kakashi’s heart flutter every time he sees it bestowed upon him.

“Do you remember what I told you before, ‘Kashi,” Obito’s voice is but a light whisper, like a caress. “When we were by the lake that day. You asked me why I didn’t seem to be scary or ruthless. And I told you I am. I’m not nice to people. I’m only nice to you.”

Kakashi bites on his lip as the flashbacks invade him again. That was the day Obito brought him to a beautiful lake just so Kakashi could see it, because he knew Kakashi would like it. It was the day when Kakashi admitted for the first time that he liked Obito.

 _“Do you like me, too?”_ Obito had asked.

And Kakashi had said yes. And he had meant it with all his heart.

His eyes are still locked inside the tenderness of Obito’s orbs when there’s a loud beeping from the intercom, and Minato’s strangled “Kakashi…” snaps him out of his thoughts.

 _Fuck. Get ahold of yourself, Hatake Kakashi!_ he scolds himself. _Now is not the time for this! You finally have Obito here. You can’t let him get off scot-free!_

Clearing his throat and digging his nails into his own palms to ground himself, Kakashi speaks again. “The police are doing investigations regarding that pipe, but you know it’s not so hard for someone to orchestrate this beforehand.”

“Oh?” Obito says, face schooled back to a neutral smile.

“Yes. Especially when some of you acted like you had known it beforehand what was going to happen.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Like Mr. Akasuna Sasori, Mr. Hoshigaki Kisame, and even you, Mr. Uchiha Obito.”

“I’m not sure I’m following.”

Kakashi grits his teeth. “Mr. Akasuna Sasori told me to stay within the rooms when I was wandering around the corridors. Mr. Hoshigaki Kisame downright told me not to go to the basement because it wouldn’t be safe.”

Obito hums nonchalantly. “I’m not them, so you might want to take it up with them as to why they did those puzzling acts.”

“Puzzling acts―” Kakashi repeats disbelievingly. “Fine. Then what about you? You physically held me down inside your arms to stop me from going down there. Heck, we fucking saw the explosion right when it happened!”

“It’s true that you were with me when the explosion happened,” the other agrees. “But I did not hold you down prior to that. We were just conversing when the explosion happened. Then, did I hold you inside my arms, but only to protect you and shield you from the blast.”

“Are you fucking lying to me―” Kakashi gapes.

Obito gives a gasp. “I would never lie to the police―that’s a crime! I’m sorry if I did hold you against your will during the blast, but I simply did not want you to get hurt. You can sue me with that if you’d like. I have no regrets as long as you stay safe.”

Kakashi doesn’t know if he should feel livid or touched at the other’s words. On one hand, he is downright lying about how he didn’t stop Kakashi from going down, but on the other hand…

Obito isn’t lying when he said he didn't want Kakashi to get hurt.

And just. Fuck. Fuck him.

Fuck Uchiha Obito for always playing with his feelings like this.

“You’re distorting the truth,” Kakashi hisses, feeling drained.

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are! Tell me why you held me back! Why didn’t you let me go down there and die with them, too! That would probably make you happy, wouldn’t it?” The more he speaks, the angrier he feels, and his voice raises unconsciously.

“I’m not. Kakashi, calm down. Although seeing you raging at me like this is pretty hot, I’m not going to lie.”

“Stop those frivolous words, I don’t want to hear them!”

“I’m sorry if my attraction towards you makes you uncomfortable, but I can’t help myself.” Obito shrugs casually. “You’re really hot and I’m utterly mesmerized by you.”

Kakashi gawks at the other. Obito is slouching in his chair with his head tilting back as he regards Kakashi teasingly with a smirk, and Kakashi is just.

He is just—

“I don’t have time for this bullshit.”

“Ooh, another curse!” Obito coos, licking his lips slowly.

Kakashi resists the urge to grind his teeth. "Are you aware you're currently sitting inside a police station?"

"How can I not, when you're right in front of me, decked out in your pretty police uniform, Kakashi?"

"Then stop it with the cocky smirk and answer my question!"

"Sure," Obito concedes, "but let me ask you something first, okay?"

Kakashi growls. "What now?"

Obito tilts his head, glancing up at the camera located on the ceiling in a corner. "Are your teammates watching our every move right now, in this very room?"

Kakashi blinks in surprise, turning his head in the same direction. "Huh? Yeah, they should be..."

"Hey, ‘Kashi," Obito murmurs, octave dropping suddenly, voice low and velvety, "if I were to kiss you right here, they'd be watching, too, right?"

"Wha―"

"Would you enjoy it? I dare say you would," Obito continues, cutting into his words easily. "I could bend you over the table right here. I could ravish you. And everyone in the police station would be watching as you tremble underneath my touches. And you―You, ‘Kashi―"

Kakashi bites down hard on his lip, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "And I what?" he hisses.

Obito rests a cheek on his palm lazily as he looks up at him from the table, the corner of his lips curved into a devious smirk. "And I bet," he drawls, each word dripping honey, "I bet you would get off on it. Get off on kissing your one enemy in front of all your precious little police friends."

Obito then suddenly gets up from his seat, and Kakashi also stands up out of panic. “What are you―”

He watches as the other makes his way to him in confident strides, and Kakashi is screaming at himself to not back away, to not be scared, to not―

“What are you doing, Mr. Uchiha? Get back to your seat this instance―”

“It’s only been a few days and I’ve missed you already,” Obito whispers into his ear as he stands before Kakashi, and the latter flits his eyes up at the camera in alarm. “God, how did I go six months without having you before?”

“M―Mr. Uchiha, this is terribly inappropriate, please get back to―” Kakashi’s hands are scrambling at the other’s chest, intending to push him away, but the moment their bodies make contact, he feels his wrists being gripped and he’s slammed onto the table, wide eyes staring up at Obito.

And Kakashi should struggle―kick him away, punch him in the face, but then his eyes lock into Obito’s and sees the utterly affectionate gaze the older man is giving him, and all of a sudden his limbs feel like jelly, because this is a familiar feeling.

Being under Obito like this. Giving Obito what he wants. Submitting. These are the things that have been ingrained into Kakashi’s mind and body for countless times.

His fingers twitch, trying to get them to work and shove the other man away, and his brain is screaming at him to resist, to get out, but his body isn’t listening to him as Obito leans down―

―and when their lips touch, Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut and hates himself, because he finds his lips traitorously open to give Obito access to lick his way in―

The sound of the door banging open jolts Kakashi, and before he can process what’s happening, Obito’s weight is thrown off him in a flash of blur and then there’s another hand pulling him up.

“What the fuck are you doing,” Obito’s voice is low, simpering with displeasure.

“I should be asking you that,” another voice speaks up, and Kakashi gasps as he recognizes it: Minato.

“Alright, so you can charge me for inappropriate behavior inside a police station,” Obito shrugs indifferently, “but then you’d have to charge your subordinate here, too. After all, it was mutual, was it not?”

“Mutual?” Minato exclaims. “You threw him down and attacked him―”

“Why don’t you ask the man himself?” Obito asks boredly. “Tell me, ‘Kashi, did I attack you? Was it non-consensual?”

Both pairs of eyes are upon him as Kakashi brings faltering eyes up at Obito. He can feel Minato’s anxious gaze on him, and the older man’s fingers are still wrapped around his wrist in a tight grip, like they’re telling him to say yes, to charge Obito with this, but―

“No,” Kakashi finds himself saying, closing his eyes. “No, it was consensual. I’ll take any punishments for my improper conduct. I’m sorry.”

Obito lets out a triumphant noise. “See? He fucking liked it―”

“You need to stop doing this!” Minato hisses, and Kakashi is surprised at the desperation he hears in the other’s voice. “Stop playing around with him! He’s not yours to fuck with anymore―”

At this, Obito’s eyes flash suddenly. “The fuck are you saying? Of course he belongs to me. Always has.”

“No! He did, for awhile, when I made the biggest mistake of my life, but not—not anymore. He’s his own person now. Stop―”

“Oh, big brother,” Obito sighs mockingly. “Is it because you’ve lost both of your little brothers, so you’re looking for a new brother for you to baby now?”

“Obito―”

“Too bad for you, though. It’s true I did give Itachi to you for the sake of Akatsuki, but…” Obito lowers his head suddenly before inclining, sombering eyes gazing straight at them chillingly. “I won’t give you Kakashi. Ever.”

“I don’t need your permission!” Minato snaps back. “I told you, he doesn’t belong to you anymore!”

“Stop deluding yourself―”

“You’re the one who should stop deluding yourself!” Minato nearly shouts. “You need to let him go! Because―Because―”

“Because what.”

“Because he’s with me now!” he blurts, and before Kakashi can feel surprised at his words, there’s a hand curling around his nape and pushing him forward, guiding his lips onto Minato’s.

Kakashi widens his eyes impossibly, frozen. It was just a fleeting touch, but still, _what the fuck?_

“You did not just do that,” the coldest, most frightening voice he’s ever heard snaps him back to the present, and he hastily shoves Minato away to turn back to Obito, whose eyes are blazing like the pits of hell.

“I did,” Minato says before Kakashi have a chance to say something. “I’ve been patient long enough. I won’t let Kakashi go through your tortures anymore. I’ll protect him from now on.”

“Kakashi is mine,” Obito says slowly, drawing out each word like the leisure carve of a knife into skin. “I won’t let you have him.”

“That’s not up to you to decide.”

“You are going to fucking regret this. I’ll make sure of it.”

Minato raises his head challengingly. “Try me, little brother.”

Obito sucks in a breath, the epitome of hell on earth with how absolutely murderous he looks right now. “Oh, it’s on.”

Kakashi watches the exchange, expression getting more and more bewildered as the two brothers in front of him just go on and on about him like he’s not even there, like he’s a―

“I am not,” he mutters, voice soft, but the two cater their attention to him anyways, eyes widening like they just realized he’s there, too. “I am not a possession for you guys to pass around. I’m not―”

“I didn’t mean it that way―”

“Now you know that’s not what I―”

“You guys are fucked up,” Kakashi says, raising his voice above the simultaneous protests from the other two. “You’re treating this like a game of tug and war, I’m not―”

“Kakashi, I―”

“Don’t you start,” Kakashi snaps, narrowing his eyes at Minato. “Don’t get me started on what the fuck that was about, okay. You can’t just kiss me like that―”

“That’s right,” Obito chimes in. “You have no right to kiss Kakashi―”

“And you,” Kakashi hisses, pointing a finger at Obito, making him blink. “You―You―” his finger shakes uncontrollably, and he curses, hating how he lost himself when in front of Obito again just now. He’s never been able to resist Obito, and he hates it.

“‘Kashi―”

“Let’s go, Kakashi,” Minato’s voice cuts through the tension between them, and Kakashi turns to him in surprise, taking in the stern expression on the older man’s face.

“What?”

“As your superior, I command you to follow me. I have business I need to speak with you about.”

Kakashi is hesitant at this sudden change, but Minato is right. He can’t disobey his superior’s orders, so he gives a jerky nod.

“Minato,” a low voice rumbles, tone full of utter hatred and malice, is heard, and Kakashi looks back to see the dark expression on Obito again.

“Obito…”

“Leave him,” Minato calls out. “We’ll deal with him later.”

“Twenty-four hours,” Obito says, a threat. “You have twenty-four hours to contain me in this mockery of a place so you can find your nonexistent evidence of my supposed crime. My lawyers will destroy you if you try anything.”

Kakashi knows. Law dictates the police can detain anyone suspicious for twenty-four hours before they have to be released if there are no clear evidences against them.

“It’s just past midnight, so you have less than twenty hours left,” Obito tells them, gesturing to the clock on the wall. “Good luck, big brother.”

Minato leaves in a huff, Kakashi trailing reluctantly after him after one last glance at Obito’s smug smirk.

He doesn’t have a good feeling about this… then again, when has he ever have a good feeling about anything lately?

☩

Kakashi is standing, leaning against a wall with arms crossed as he stares at the only other occupant in the room with displeasure.

“So, what was that all about?” he initiates, seeing as how the other doesn’t seem to be speaking anytime soon.

Minato sighs, fingers massaging his own temple. “Did you expect me to just stand by and watch as you let yourself be played around by Obito? You’ve endured enough, Kakashi. Aren’t you tired?”

Kakashi thins his lips. “Of course I am, but still, what was that? What are you planning?”

“I told you to try going out with someone else, but you wouldn’t listen to me.” Minato gives him a pointed look. “It will be harder now that Obito has his attention back on you. And getting you a random fake lover isn’t an option right now. We both know how that would end.”

Kakashi does. It would end in either torture or murder—just like what happened to Zabuza and those two Akatsuki members who dared to lay their hands on him months ago.

“So, just play along, okay?” Minato adds. “Let Obito think what I said earlier is true.”

“And what makes you think he won’t harm you? Is he even going to believe this?”

“Didn’t you see his reaction just now? It might not seem believable to sane people, but you know how Obito is. He is very possessive, especially when it comes to you. It’s not going to take that much convincing.”

“I still don’t understand where you’re going with this.” Kakashi frowns at the older man. “Let’s say Obito believes that you actually have feelings for me, but then what? Will that stop him from bothering me? We both know it won’t.”

“Let’s—Let’s give it a try, okay? I just—“ Minato sucks in a heavy breath. “I was blinded by my thirst for vengeance before. You have no idea how much I regret it now. To see the way he treats you with my own eyes. To know that it was me who had put you there―that it was all my fault―”

Kakashi’s eyes soften at the raspiness in the other’s tone. He exhales slightly, closing his eyes. “I told you that I don’t blame you, didn’t I? You weren't wrong. Making that decision. It was the best course of action at the time.”

“It still doesn’t make it any less my fault, that I was the one who had sent you back to Obito. To push you there. I can’t change the past, but if only I could, I would―”

“Chief—“

“You had forgotten everything,” Minato says, voice full of regret. “You had a clean slate. You could’ve had a better life. But I fucked it up. I willingly pushed you there, and gave you right into the wretched hands of Obito.”

Kakashi averts his gaze, unable to bear the anguished look on the other’s face. He had an idea that Minato must’ve felt somewhat guilty towards him, for sending him to infiltrate Akatsuki months ago and messing up his life even more as a result, but he didn’t expect it to be so... deep.

“If I had cared back then,” Minato croaks, and Kakashi feels like he isn’t just speaking of the mission he had assigned Kakashi. “I could’ve stopped him. I was the older brother. I was the heir. He would’ve been powerless if I had declared it. I could’ve run away and taken you with me afterward.”

Kakashi bites on his lip, mind flashing back to those horrid memories of that day almost eight ago, now. Of when he had first met Minato, first met Obito, first met their father with knees on the cold, hard ground of Kamui, wrists chained onto poles.

Kakashi tries to imagine a future where Minato had stopped that massacre. Had stopped Obito. Where Kakashi hadn’t been traumatized to the point that he had developed amnesia. Or a future where he at least had a brother figure by his side to care for him during those lonely years afterward, an orphan with no memories of the past, only revenge on his mind of someone brutally murdering his father without even knowing who that person was.

A sob wrenches itself from his throat unwittingly and Minato snaps his gaze at him.

“I’m sorry, Kakashi, I’m sorry, it’s all―”

“You can’t change the past,” Kakashi says, voice unsteady as he tries to swallow down a sniffle and failing. “But you can always change the future. That’s what you told me before.”

“Yes…”

“Then it doesn’t matter,” Kakashi tells him, eyes lowering to avoid looking at Minato. “What’s done is done. I can only do what I can now.”

“But I can’t just let Obito do as he pleases,” Minato interjects, exasperated. “So, please, Kakashi, give me a chance to make it up to you.”

Kakashi still think this isn’t a good idea, and he’s not sure if this will actually work in their favor. But seeing the earnest and desperate look in Minato’s blue eyes, he can’t help but nod his head faintly, promting a small, relieved smile from the older man.

Minato reaches over and squeezes Kakashi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. I’m still his brother,” he says reassuringly, answering Kakashi’s question earlier.

Kakashi lifts his head and stares at Minato, and for the first time, he wonders if part of the reasons why Minato has been working so hard to take down Akatsuki all these years—to stop Obito from doing more atrocious crimes—is because deep down, he still cares about Obito as a brother and wants to save him, too.

☩

“Half an hour left,” Obito says, eyes flitting to the clock on the wall leisurely as he sits in the interrogation room. “So, big brother. Where’s the incriminating evidence that proves I blew the basement up?”

Minato grits his teeth, glaring at him for a long moment before he inhales sharply. Calming himself down. “Alright, fine. You win this time.”

“You mean all the time, right,” Obito drawls, smirking.

“Yes, fine. Akatsuki wins again for the millionth battle with the police. But you―you won’t be winning. Not for this.”

“What?”

Minato stares down at him from where he’s standing on the other side of the table. “You can play the police all you want, but you won’t be able to play Kakashi anymore.”

Obito’s face grims immediately. “Yes, we’ve got to talk about that.”

“I believe all the talking is done. I’ve said all I want to say.”

Obito leans back on his chair, gazing at him impassively. “You’re stupid.”

“Excuse me?”

“You really think you can take Kakashi away from me? When I’m all he’s ever known? He doesn’t know what it’s like to be with anyone other than me.”

Minato clenches his fists by his side, trying not to grind his teeth when he answers, “Hence why I said it was the biggest mistake of my life, sending him to you. He was too new and susceptible to anything and you corrupted him. But no more. I’ll save him from you. I’ll protect him now.”

“Right,” Obito drawls, elbows leaning onto the smooth granite of the table as he rests a cheek in his palm boredly. “What if he doesn’t want to be saved? You saw it yourself last night―he said I didn’t assault him and that it was all mutual. He likes when I touch him. He likes when I fuck him. He willingly submits to me. And that’s because he knows he belongs to me.”

Hearing about how Kakashi still lets Obito do all those things to him makes Minato’s blood boils again, mind flashing back to the array of hickeys dotted along Kakashi’s body he saw that day.

It’s all his fault. He hadn’t been able to save Kakashi eight years ago, the least he could’ve done was make it up to the boy when they met again in the police force, but he chose to use him and send him back to Obito instead, even when he was fully aware of the danger Kakashi would encounter.

 _But it’s better late than never_ , Minato tells himself. He should at least try to keep Kakashi away from Obito, now.

“You were taking advantage of him. He doesn’t resist you because he doesn’t know what it’s like to not resist, you’re right,” Minato agrees, trying to keep his voice calm instead of lashing out because he needs to make it sound convincing. “But soon he will know what it’s like for someone else to touch him with care. With love.”

At this, Obito stills, narrowing his eyes at him. “What.”

“Soon you won’t be the only one who gets to touch him,” Minato says challengingly, smiling to himself at the way Obito’s body goes rigid at his words. “But this time, it’ll be different. I won’t fuck him so barbarically like you did. No, what I’ll do is love him. I’ll make love to him, because that’ll be what it is.” He nearly grimaces at his own words, but he needs to keep up the act.

“‘Make love’,” Obito spits out as he keeps his almost pitch-black eyes on Minato.

“Yes. I’ll show him what it’s like to make love―to be with someone who can care for him properly, who’s gentle. Loving. When we do it, it’s going to be a blessed thing, not like how he just submits to you because you fucking brainwashed him into doing so,” Minato smirks.

“You don’t fucking know anything,” Obito tells him, voice low and chilling, and Minato realizes the little boy he’s grown up with has become a very intimidating, almost terrifying person, and he’s known it for awhile, but seeing his full-blown rage directed up close and personal is an entirely different experience.

Still. Minato can’t back down. Not when it comes to this.

So he says, “I do.”

“No,” Obito snarls, voice scratchy like a beast about to pounce. “Kakashi loves me, he doesn’t submit to me just because he’s trained to. He wants it―”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Minato asks disbelievingly. “How is it not because you trained him to when he had to do whatever the fuck it was you wanted him to for months just so he could infiltrate Akatsuki? He gave himself to you for the sake of the mission and now that the mission’s ended, he got too used to the shit you do to him. He doesn’t know how to deny you because he’s never denied you before. He doesn’t know how, but I’ll show him how, now.”

Something must’ve struck a nerve inside Obito, for Minato can peripherally see the other’s nails scraping against the table threateningly as he says, “You don’t know shit about us. He’s told me countless times that he loves me, that he belongs to me. He does know what it’s like to make love, because that’s what I do with him. Because we love each other.”

“And how would you know the feelings are completely mutual when all Kakashi’s ever known is to let you do whatever you want to him? You think he loves you, but maybe that’s just because he doesn’t know what love is.”

“How dare you question―”

His words are interrupted by a static voice over intercom. “Chief Superintendent Namikaze, it’s five minutes until ten. You have to let Mr. Uchiha Obito go or we can be charged with keeping a civilian for over twenty-four hours,” is Orochimaru’s flat voice resounding through the small room.

Minato turns back to Obito, forcing a smile, sharp and constrained. “Well, that’s that. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Uchiha. I’m sorry we’ve wasted your time, but you’re free to go now. If we need you for anything else later, we will contact you. Have a good day.”

Obito stares at him in shock at the sudden change, eyes still blazing and utterly livid, before his face is wiped clean and the usual bored, cocky smirk comes back. “It is no problem, Mr. _Namikaze_ ,” he makes sure to enunciate the name. “I’ll gladly help the police with their investigations anytime. I’m a good citizen, after all.”

As Obito passes by him to get to the door, Minato can hear a low mutter, barely above a whisper, but as clear and cutting as the blade of a knife. “This isn’t over yet. I will show you, just wait.”

As the door shuts behind him, Minato drops down onto the chair, exhaling a breath of exhaustion.

_Did I go too far?_

He just challenged―provoked―Obito, and he can only hope the younger man doesn’t do anything rash in retaliation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains knifeplay and bloodplay, very brief and nothing too explicit but it's there. Again, it's necessary to the plot.

Another day is about to end as Kakashi walks home the next day. He has no clue what or how Obito’s thing with Minato went, the latter restricting him on this case and had told Kakashi to focus on Akatsuki’s activities after the explosion instead. He’s been locked inside his office the entire day, researching on information about Akatsuki’s new transactions, but really, all his mind keeps drifting to is Obito and Minato and how much he hates his life right now.

His life’s a fucking mess.

He’s in love with someone who ruthlessly murdered his father and a bunch of innocent people in front of his eyes years ago, who had traumatized him so much he had ended up developing PTSD afterwards and gotten amnesia.

Despite all that, he still can’t bring himself to resist Obito whenever he’s faced with the other.

 _Your life will be so much easier if I’m gone_ , Obito had said.

But can Kakashi do it?

He climbs the stairs to his apartment wearily and unlocks the door. He’s just about to throw his briefcase down to the floor and crash onto his bed as he flips the light to his bedroom on when he feels his heart trying to jump up his throat.

For there, lounging so casually on his bed, is―

“’Kashi.”

Obito.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck. “O―Obito, how did you―” his mouth stops as soon as he begins because he realizes how silly the question is. It’s not that difficult for Uchiha Obito, boss of Akatsuki, to sneak his way into Kakashi’s nondescript apartment and waits for him here. The reason is why.

And Kakashi’s afraid he already knows the answer to that, too.

“Did you just get back from work?” Obito asks lightly, almost vacantly―no emotions in his voice―but that makes it all the more scarier.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi stumbles, backing up against the wall as Obito stands up and makes his way over to him, face still carefully blank as he advances.

When there’s a sudden hand enclosing his throat in a brutal grip, Kakashi should’ve expected this to happen, but it doesn’t make it any less painful as his airway is abruptly cut off, rendering him gasping for breath.

“You didn’t think I was going to let you go, did you?” the other whispers, a low, velvety tone before he hauls Kakashi by the throat, sliding him up the wall.

Kakashi’s vision swims as he stares wildly down into Obito’s chillingly cold eyes, fingers clawing at Obito’s arm urgently because he can’t breathe―he can’t breathe―

“You belong to me, and I would rather kill you than let someone else have you,” Obito says, voice soft and almost hypnotized, before tightening his grip viciously, like he’s trying to strangle Kakashi.

Like he’s trying to kill Kakashi.

"O―Obi―" he wheezes, struggling inside Obito's grip. There are black splotches permeating his vision, distorting Obito's utterly calm and emotionless face before him, and he kicks and claws and desperately tries to gulp in air that doesn't exist anymore, because Obito won't let go, and is he really trying to kill Kakashi?

 _Dying by Obito's hand, huh_ … is his last thought as the world turns blurry and his eyes start to roll back, sliding shut.

And then everything―

Stops.

☩

Obito stares unblinkingly at the body on the floor, Kakashi still wheezing for his breath and choking on his tears at the same time, and it’s―

It’s all his fault.

The body by his feet is trembling slightly, curled up against the wall with the head buried between the knees in a fetus position, and something inside him pangs.

Obito drops down onto his knees, reaching a hand out. “‘Kashi.”

The other folds even more into himself, the tremors starting in full-force again.

“Kakashi,” Obito calls out, voice louder, as he grabs at both of Kakashi’s arms and forcefully pulls him forward, smashing his face against Obito’s chest.

He expects the other to lash out, to kick and scream and struggle, but to his surprise, Kakashi’s body just... completely wilts. Like he’s lost any sense of fight.

Like he completely gives up. Dead.

Obito lets out an inaudible sigh, sliding a palm soothingly across the other’s still trembling back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do that, you know?”

Kakashi makes no noise to acknowledge him, still dry-heaving heavily.

“I would never want to hurt you, but it’s just―” _He made me so mad_ , Obito thinks. _He actually managed to get under my skin._ Obito still can’t believe it, but the man he had once called his brother and meant it, actually managed to shake something inside him. Made him angry.

Made him doubt.

Doubt of whether or not Kakashi actually loves him, or if he’s just been conditioned to.

Made him… afraid, of the answer.

And it was something he had never felt before. This insecurity of whether or not Kakashi truly loves him. It made his blood boil and his stomach turned into knots, and his vision got all splotchy, black swirls taking over, and when he saw Kakashi all of that accumulated and then he just―

Snapped.

And now he’s hurt Kakashi. Made the other afraid of him once again.

“Minato got to me,” he admits. “He said you only love me because that’s all you’ve ever known, that I’ve trained you to love me. That you don’t actually love me, because you don’t even know what that is.”

Kakashi is more calm inside his arms now. The tremblings have subsided, and all he can hear is the ragged breathing against his chest, tears drenching his shirt.

“And that’s just not true, is it? You do love me, don’t you?”

No response.

“Kakashi, answer me,” Obito says, voice stern like a command. It didn’t hit him until after he’s said it, but this―Kakashi answering to him when he uses an authoritarian voice, is something like training, too.

Like training a dog to listen to you when you speak with a firm voice to it.

Obito winces unwittingly, and is suddenly glad Kakashi can’t see his face right now.

As expected, Kakashi finally speaks, voice scratchy and raw, still hiding his face into Obito’s chest. “You want me to answer if I love you, when you just tried to choke me to death?”

Obito keeps silent.

“You just tried to kill me, and you want to ask if I love you?” Kakashi asks, raising his voice.

“…I’m sorry, ‘Kashi.”

“What are you even sorry for?” Kakashi almost screams, finally lifting up his face, and the first thing Obito sees are his angry, agonized eyes directed at him, the orbs shining with unshed tears even with the clear tear tracks running down his cheeks.

Kakashi is shaking again.

“You’re sorry for, what,” the other continues, “for almost killing me? For hurting me? For breaking me over and over again, like an eager, careless child with his favorite toy? And now you’re asking me if I love you?”

“But do you,” Obito says.

Kakashi brings afflicted eyes at him, holding his gaze for a moment, before he drops his head.

Slumps down. The very picture of defeat.

“I do. That’s the problem, isn’t it?”

Obito’s eyes soften, reaching a hand out to settle onto Kakashi’s own, linking their fingers together. “I love you, too.”

“If you love me, then why do you keep hurting me?” the other asks, drained.

At this, Obito pauses. Stares blankly at the plain wall before him. At last, he says, “…I don’t know.”

Kakashi jerks his head up to him again. “You don’t know?”

“I don’t know why I’m like this,” he confesses. “I love you, but…” Minato’s words ring inside his head, nauseating. “But I don’t know how to treat the person I love right. It’s all wrong.”

Kakashi is simply staring at him, slightly lost and confused, and Obito keeps their eyes locked together. Taking in the dark orbs of Kakashi’s eyes, sometimes fiery, other times docile, and on the occasions that are far more recurring than they should be―sometimes full of hurt and pain.

That are caused by Obito.

And this man―still a young boy, really, who had been through so much and got broken by Obito over and over again, is still here. Still at his side. Still says he loves him.

And Obito can’t even begin to comprehend why Kakashi does love him, but he will never stop feeling so pleased and… relieved, that he does.

“I know I’m not good for you,” Obito begins, voice soft, and the words sound too sincere for his taste, but. He needs to say them anyways. “But I still want you. And I want you to want me, too.”

Kakashi bites hard on his lip, gazing at Obito with conflicted eyes.

“Not matter how badly I treat you, no matter how much I hurt you, don’t ever stop loving me,” Obito says, trying to make it sound like a command, an order, but all he can hear is the desperate tone in his voice.

Like a child begging to not let his toy get taken away. Because he doesn’t know how he can go on without it, the toy having become a too important aspect of his life, like breathing.

Kakashi lets out a choked sound as the tears finally slip past his eyes and trail down his cheeks once again, and when Obito leans in to kiss him softly, with care, he clutches fingers on the fabric of Obito’s shirt, clinging like a lifeline.

“Let me make love to you again,” Obito whispers against his lips, and Kakashi nods, assenting.

☩

Kakashi exhales heavily as Obito rocks back inside him. The slow pace is making every drag of Obito’s cock against his walls more pronounced. He feels like he’s burning up, the overhead light shining down making his vision all hazy.

“Kakashi. ‘Kashi,” Obito calls out, catching his attention.

When he looks back at the other, his pupils are overblown, wide and black, expression undecipherable, just silently staring at Kakashi.

Kakashi feels like he can’t breathe.

Enclosing fingers around his wrists, Obito tugs him up to a sitting position, making Kakashi moan out at the new angle as the cock inside him embeds itself even further in. Kakashi shakily settles his thighs on either sides of Obito’s, looking at the other with a cross between confusion and lust.

“You know I love you, don’t you?” Obito murmurs, and Kakashi can feel the puffs of air against his skin from the close proximity between their faces.

Kakashi bites down on his lip, feeling his heart clenched as he nods.

Obito gives him an airy smile when he says, “Good. Then bite me.”

“W—What?”

“Bite me like I bit you that night,” Obito says, tone light in utter contrast with the poundings inside Kakashi’s ears right now.

“N—No, that’s—”

“Taste my blood,” Obito cuts him off, eyes burning Kakashi with how intense the orbs look, like they can cut through his skin. “I want you to do it to me, too. Let me taste my own blood from your mouth. Let us be intertwined again.”

Kakashi stares at the other uncomprehendingly. What he’s suggesting is sick. It’s so, so very sick. And he feels frightened, at this mad man and what he wants Kakashi to do, but the hands curled around his hips are still gentle, soothing, familiar, and Kakashi can’t find it in himself to break away.

“Do it,” Obito says, tilting to bare his neck.

“But I—”

“Do it, ‘Kashi,” Obito commands, voice loud and ringing inside Kakashi’s ears. “Didn’t you say it made you happy when you punched me? Then do it. Hurt me.”

Sucking in a shaky breath, Kakashi bends forward and pierces his teeth into Obito’s skin, eyes squeezing shut as he tastes Obito’s blood on his tongue. His head is spinning and he feels nauseous, the metallic taste making his stomach knot and his heart beating erratically inside his chest.

Kakashi barely has time to suck in a sob before he’s pulled back and Obito crushes him into a brutal kiss, licking his way into his mouth and sliding his tongue all over, devouring him.

“Now you have my blood inside you,” Obito whispers against his lips, and Kakashi lets out a whimper, bringing shaky, horrified eyes up at him. “I would do the same to you again, but I don’t want to hurt you tonight.”

 _I’m not sure if this is better than you physically hurting me_ , Kakashi thinks disbelievingly, but what he says is, “Don’t you think you’ve already hurt me enough?”

For a split second, Kakashi swears he can see the falter in Obito’s eyes, but it’s gone as fast as it appears when Obito pulls Kakashi against him in a bone-crushing embrace, a palm at the back of his head carding through his hair as Kakashi rests his cheek on Obito’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry that out of all the people in the world, it has to be me,” Obito tells him, voice soft as he scrapes his teeth on the skin of Kakashi’s neck, where he would’ve bitten. “But I won’t let you go. Ever.”

Kakashi makes a pained face, exhaling a shuddering, choked up breath at the words. It feels like there is someone squeezing his heart until it’s threatening to burst into a million pulps, and he doesn’t know if he should feel happy that Obito does seem to genuinely love him, or cursed that he does love him.

“You know that you’ll always have a place beside me, right?”

“H—Huh?”

“I really missed you during the past six months,” the other continues, pulling back so he can look at Kakashi in the eyes. “Missed your eyes, your lips. Missed how with the slightest touch,” Obito punctuates this by dragging a thumb across Kakashi’s nipple, making the other unconsciously moan out, “your body would just respond to me so earnestly. I missed this.”

When Obito thrusts up, Kakashi’s eyes widen at the sensation as he remembers they’re still connected. “O—Obito.”

“I missed you always there when I got home,” Obito murmurs, rocking back into him at a leisure pace as he peppers kisses all over Kakashi’s face. “The house feels so barren without you around.”

“W—What are you saying?” Kakashi asks, searching for Obito’s eyes.

“I’m saying, your place is still there,” Obito tells him soberly. “You’ve seen how all of Akatsuki still treats you, right? You’ll always have a place beside me,” he repeats.

Kakashi looks at him with wide eyes as his brain goes into overdrive. Does this mean Obito wants him back, in Akatsuki? That he could come back to Akatsuki and it’d be like nothing had ever happened?

That Obito doesn’t care that Kakashi is a cop? That he wants to take Akatsuki, and Obito, down?

“I’m a cop,” Kakashi states, trying to not make his voice shake.

Obito shrugs. “Who says I can’t have a cop for a lover? Who says a cop can’t have me for a lover? Does your job restrict you on who you date?”

“I’m trying to put you in jail,” Kakashi says incredulously.

The other simply gives him a small smirk. “If you can. I told you I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“You’re—crazy—”

“Nothing you don’t already know before,” Obito tells him lightly, pecking him on the lips. “Anyways, I’m just saying. You don’t have to take it, but I just want you to know it’s there.”

“Why would you tell me something like this?” Kakashi asks, raising his voice.

“Because I want you to choose,” Obito murmurs, tone dropping as he nips at Kakashi’s neck gently, sucking another bruise into his skin. “Because I’m not going to force you to do anything. Tell me, have I ever once forced you to do anything against your will?”

Kakashi gnaws on his lip, reluctantly shaking his head. It’s true that Obito has never taken him against his will before. Every single thing that Kakashi’s done, no matter how fucked up it is, like that blood exchange just now, Obito had never physically held him down and forced him to do it. It’s always been Kakashi obediently following his orders, consenting.

Sometimes Kakashi wonders if he’s the more messed up of the two, that it’s his fault their relationship is the way it is.

“Don’t think too hard,” Obito mumbles against his skin. “Just know that if you want to come back, that my door is open for you. The code to my house is still the same, is it not? It’s always been the same, so that if you want to go back, you can.”

“Why would you do all this for me?” Kakashi asks in a disbelief tone.

“Because I love you,” Obito tells him simply before pushing him down back to the mattress and grabbing the back of his thighs, spreading him. “That’s all you need to know.”

The rest of Kakashi’s thoughts dissolve into dust as Obito presses back in again, and all his words morph into moans and the familiar chanting of Obito’s name.

☩

_I can come back to_ _Akatsuki_ _, and Obito will welcome me with open arms_ , is what Kakashi repeats inside his head as he stands inside the familiar mansion a week later, still the same glass walls, the same waterfall next to a spiralling staircase.

The same place he’s lived in for months, before.

“‘Kashi,” Obito says as he regards Kakashi from the couch with a light smile on his face. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Yeah…” Kakashi says, eyes dropping down to his feet. Obito had been telling the truth. As soon as he buzzed in at the gate, the servants immediately let him in, escorting him across the vast yard up to the main entrance. And the code verification was the same. Still accepted his retina scan.

This place has always been here, for Kakashi to come back to at any time.

If Kakashi wants to.

“Well, this is a very pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of, today?”

Kakashi walks over to stand in front of Obito. Takes a deep breath. “I want to ask about… your offer.”

“My offer?”

“Yeah,” he shuffles his feet awkwardly. “About how… I’m welcomed back at this place, if I want to.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Does it… Does it still stand?” Kakashi asks nervously, eyes widening as he looks imploringly at the other. “I… I missed you, too. And I want to move back here.”

“You want to move back here with me?” Obito asks, tilting his head. “You want to live here again, together?”

Kakashi nods. “Yeah… Can I?”

“Of course my offer still stands,” he says, wrapping fingers around Kakashi’s wrists and tugging him forward, guiding him down to straddle his lap. “Welcome back home, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi exhales steadily as he takes in the pleased smile on the other’s face. Watches his face coming closer.

“Back to where you belong,” are Obito’s last words before he connects their lips together in a slow, deep kiss.

☩

“You wouldn’t pick up your phone yesterday,” Minato begins. “I got worried, so I came to your apartment. But you weren’t there, either.”

Kakashi sits, casual, as he leans on the back of the chair. “I don’t live there anymore.”

“What?”

Kakashi stares at Minato, slowly saying his next words. “I’ve decided to move back to Obito’s place.”

“What?!” Minato takes a step forward, shock and anger clear on his face, and Kakashi schools his expression, not giving anything away.

“I’ve come to realize Obito just won’t leave me alone no matter what. So it’s better to actually stay with him, if only to keep watch over his actions.”

“Do you realize how ridiculous this idea is? It’s like you’re undercover again, but that doesn’t work because he already knows who you are!”

“He doesn’t care. He says he still wants me. And that will be his downfall. How foolish of him, to want me by his side when he knows I want to take him down.”

“And you don’t think it’s foolish of you to go back to his side just like he wanted?” Minato counters. “There is nothing to be gained from this except Obito’s satisfaction of having his favorite fucktoy at his beck and call again!”

Kakashi flinches back like he’s just been slapped, lips flattening at the words.

The distraught look on Minato’s face is immediate. “I―I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that―”

“Well, you wouldn’t be wrong,” Kakashi says, voice steel.

“No, no, I am. I didn’t―This wasn’t―I―”

“It was your plan all along. For me to get to Obito. You knew he would want me. Well, you’re correct. I’m just extending this plan. I don’t see why you―”

“Kakashi, haven’t I made myself clear?” Minato asks, pained. “I’ve made a lot of bad decisions all my life, but that—sending you to Obito—is the one I regret the most. I thought we had agreed to pretend to be in a relationship?”

 _Yeah, and Obito tried kill me because of it,_ Kakashi thinks grimly, but says, “I don’t see how it would help us take him down.”

And from the way Minato drops his gaze, Kakashi knows that the older man wasn’t very confident in his plan, either.

“It was a rash decision on my part. But I―” Minato takes a deep breath, then exhales. “I just don’t want you to suffer again.”

 _I haven’t stopped suffering ever since I woke up in the hospital that day with no memories about the past_ , is what Kakashi doesn’t say. “I’ll be fine. Even after all I’ve been through, I’m still here, am I not?”

At this, Minato gives him a small smile. “Yeah, you are. I just—Obito was right, I’ve started to see you like a little brother. I don’t want to see you get hurt again, Kakashi.”

Kakashi feels himself smiling back, warmth in his chest. “I’ll be okay. Please trust me.”

Minato sighs softly. “Alright. But be careful, okay? Remember, you are your own person. You are not a possession for Obito to play with.”

“Yeah,” he says, smile a bit strained around the edges at the words.

Easier said than done.

☩

Sometimes Kakashi wonders if there really is something wrong with him, maybe even before the incident. Maybe he had been born fucked-up, and that incident only brought out the ugly side hidden deep inside him.

The foolish, helpless side in him that still yearns for Obito, despite all the other’s done to him. That instant obedience whenever Obito wants him to do anything.

Obito has never taken him by force, because he has never needed to. Kakashi always gives.

Obito takes and takes and takes, and Kakashi always gives and gives and gives, always willingly.

Kakashi closes his eyes as he sighs, head leaning onto the payphone in his hand.

“What’s wrong?” the voice asks, static ringing in his ear.

“You know what.”

There’s a hum on the other line.

He considers it for a moment, but he trusts the other. “I still love Obito. Despite everything. Stupid, right?”

There’s a pause, before the voice speaks up. “Not at all. To be honest, I had… expected it.”

“Because you know what it’s like, right? Since you’ve been in the same situation.”

“Yes, I do.”

The answer is short, but Kakashi smiles. The other man is probably the only one who can understand how he feels right now. “Sometimes, I really envy you, Yahiko.”

There’s a soft laugh. “There’s nothing to envy. My life has not been pretty either.”

“I know, but… Right now, it’s more―” Kakashi tries to find the words to express his thoughts. “I mean, you’re in hiding. It sucks. But at least, you’re together, you know?”

“And you can’t be together with Obito.”

“I don’t know, can I? Am I allowed to?” Kakashi asks honestly. “Am I allowed to be with the person who murdered my dad?”

“I can’t answer that for you, Kakashi,” Yahiko says, voice soft. “It’s wrong, but feelings are feelings. Humans are awful because we have this thing called emotions. It ruins us.”

“Yeah...” Kakashi closes his eyes, “I told Minato I moved back to Obito’s place to help us take him down, but... I honestly don’t know what I really want anymore,” he says as he rests his head on the cool glass of the phonebooth. Thinks about Nagato and Yahiko, running away together and hiding somewhere, just the two of them. It’s tough, but they’re happy.

He thinks of him and Obito. Thinks of them running away, too, except on some nights Kakashi might not be able to sleep due to his conscience killing him and ends up killing Obito in return.

Either way―whether or not he’s running away with Obito to some pretense utopia or keep up this pretense of a cat and mouse game―Kakashi knows.

He’s steadily losing his mind.

☩

When he arrives home―Obito’s home, that is now back to being his home, too―the other isn’t in the living room watching TV as he expected.

Instead, Kakashi finds him in their lavish bedroom, the other sitting on the bed, examining something in his hand.

A small switchblade, glimmering against the ornant overhead light hanging from the ceiling.

“‘Kashi, you’re home,” Obito says, smiling as he notices Kakashi by the door.

“Hi,” Kakashi greets, striding across and sitting himself on the bed, next to the other. “What are you looking at?”

From this close distance, Kakashi can see the golden handle of the object, with intricate designs that probably costed thousands of dollars to carve, the shimmering of what is probably real gold amplified by the matching golden light shining from above.

Obito keeps the smile on his face as he grips at the blade. Points it directly towards Kakashi’s chest.

Kakashi keeps himself still, eyes wide as Obito nudges it closer, the blade mere centimeters away from his body. Then, with a concise flick of his wrist, he slices through Kakashi’s shirt, careful to do it just so that the sharp, pointed tip doesn’t graze upon his skin.

Kakashi exhales through his mouth, watching as his shirt is ripped through the middle into two, revealing his bare chest as it heaves up and down in uneven rhythms.

His eyes snap onto Obito, who has a glazed over look inside those black orbs, his mouth slightly parted as he stares, transfixed, at the pale, white skin revealed by the gash in the shirt.

“You’re so, so pretty, ‘Kashi,” Obito breathes, reverence clear in his voice. “So beautiful and unmarred. Such lovely, lovely skin, perfect and unsullied.” He reaches a hand out to curve his palm around the column of Kakashi’s neck, his thumb brushing over the adam’s apple, feeling the pulse beating beneath his fingertip.

Kakashi holds himself absolutely still, only his eyes moving to watch haphazardly at Obito’s outstretched hand lingering on his throat. This isn’t anything new. Obito’s had his hand around Kakashi’s neck for plenty of times before, and Kakashi doesn’t want to think of what it means that he isn’t feeling scared and is instead feeling a sick kind of anticipation―thrill―of what Obito is going to do next.

Obito answers his unspoken question by sliding his other hand―the one still holding the knife―up to the other side of Kakashi’s neck, the blade just barely brushing over the soft skin there, sending shivers across Kakashi’s body.

“Hey, ‘Kashi,” he says. “Do you remember that time long ago, when I asked you if you knew that there are certain types of pain you’d want to feel? The ones where it hurts as much as it feels good?”

In his scrambled mind, Kakashi distantly recalls Obito saying that, after he had almost taken Kakashi at Amaterasu publicly, after Kakashi had said his pain tolerance was pretty high.

“Obito,” Kakashi mutters, and he can feel the bobbing of his throat that moves beneath Obito’s thumb at the action.

“Have you heard of knifeplay before, Kakashi?” Obito asks, still looking at him with a blank, calm gaze, pupils dilated as he plays with the dull end of the knife on Kakashi’s collarbones. “And bloodplay. It’s messy with biting. Harder to control the amount of blood with your teeth.”

Kakashi feels the beatings of his heart rising, pounding loudly inside his chest, inside his head, as Obito leans forward, murmurs right onto Kakashi’s lips. A soft kiss.

“I want to taste you again,” Obito says, and Kakashi knows that he doesn’t mean come.

He wants to taste Kakashi’s blood.

“I want to play with your body. Carve pretty little lines into your perfect, unblemished skin, watch crimson drip out, and lick it all clean.”

And Kakashi feels like he can’t breathe, eyes blown-wide and mesmerized as he stares at Obito―at his dark orbs holding many promises―some cruel and some exhilarating, and of the curve of his lips forming a familiar smile―dangerous, wicked.

Captivating.

Obito says, “Will you let me,” and all Kakashi can do is nod mutedly as the blade presses into his skin, the first cut a drag like it’s sliding through his heart.

☩

The next time the blade slides carefully into the skin of his inner left thigh, Kakashi doesn’t even flinch. Just stares transfixedly as Obito has a palm on his left knee, spreading his leg apart, half-bent, to reveal the naked skin now marred with a thin line of crimson running down.

Vivid red over pure white, a stark contrast.

The next cut is perpendicular to the previous one, dragging until it’s made a cross of red on his skin. An X.

“‘X marks the spot’,” Obito tells him as he examines the handiwork, an index finger brushing over the spot, and Kakashi hisses at the slight prick of pain. “Like a treasure map, you know? An X is where the treasure would be. And your thigh is the perfect place to hold it.”

Kakashi doesn’t understand what Obito’s talking about. Not sure if he even wants to understand. The other sounds delirious, with what―Kakashi’s blood? The X? This treasure thing?

Kakashi doesn’t understand.

When Obito’s finger digs a little deeper into the split skin, Kakashi sucks in a breath as he can feel more blood dripping out of the fresh cut, slowly―almost too slowly that it hurts more than if it was a big cut that had him bleeding out all at once.

“One of the things I love about you most, ‘Kashi,” Obito says, wiping a droplet with his thumb, smearing it across pale skin, dirtying it, “is no matter what I do to you, you can just take it.”

“W―What?” Kakashi asks distractedly when Obito licks that thumb, dragging the blood across his tongue in a devilish smirk.

“No matter what I do to you,” the other repeats, “you always accept. You take it without protests. And most importantly, you don’t break.”

Break. There’s that word again.

“You said I succeeded in breaking you, but I think only somewhat. If you really were broken, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t take whatever I’d dish out for you. You wouldn’t be able to. But you are, because you’re not yet broken. Not completely.”

“…So is this a way for you to break me, then?”

“Nah,” Obito says, shaking his head. “If I wanted to truly break you there are better ways. This is because I love you, and I want to have everything of you.”

Kakashi doesn’t get it. “So this is what you do to those you love?”

“Isn’t there something sacred about this? About my blood in you and yours in mine? It’s like a blood-bonding ritual in the old days. Isn’t it fascinating?”

Kakashi takes in a deep breath. Exhales. Then says, “I’m letting you do this to me because I’m fucked up to all hell like you are. But this―this isn’t love.”

This gets Obito’s attention, and he looks up from sucking a bruise on Kakashi’s spread thigh. “What?”

“When you love someone, you don’t―you don’t want to cut them up. Make them bleed and get hurt. That’s not how you love.”

Obito straightens up. Looks him in the eyes with dark, undecipherable orbs as he says, “It’s not?”

Kakashi resists a sigh. He should’ve known with how psychopathic Obito is that he wouldn’t understand this. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s right for us.”

Obito sets the knife down. Looks at the fresh trail of blood still sliding down Kakashi’s thigh. “I just wanted a more concrete evidence of you belonging to me.”

Kakashi lets out a noise of disbelief. “‘A more concrete evidence’? What more do you want? I’ve already given everything of mine to you.”

“‘Kashi…”

“You took my everything!” Kakashi says, almost a scream. “You took my first kiss! My first time! My first love! You took and took and took till I’m left with barely half a mind, an empty shell of who I used to be. Who I could've been! You took everything I have and it’s still not enough?”

“Kakashi,” Obito calls out, a warm palm on his cheek, calming him down, and Kakashi vaguely registers with incredulity that someone like Obito can have such warm hands.

He chokes on a sob unwittingly.

Obito continues to stroke his cheek gently, pressing a soft kiss to his other cheek. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t what I had meant,” he says, a tender tone like one used when speaking to a frightened animal. “I just love you so much, I wanted more ways to get closer to you. Sometimes, I just want to devour you completely until there’s nothing left, so nobody else would ever be able to have you. Crazy, right?” Obito asks with a wry laugh.

And those words should send warning signs flashing inside his head, but honestly―Kakashi’s already so used to them. Used to how possessive he knows Obito is. This doesn’t surprise him anymore.

“I thought this would be a way to express our love, our bond. But I should’ve realized that it’s only so to someone as fucked up as me.”

Kakashi gnaws on his lip, heart clenching when he feels Obito drops his head to the crook of his neck, simply nestling there like an apology.

“This isn’t only your fault. I was the one who let you. It’s not like I protested, as you’ve said.”

There’s a long silence that passes before Obito speaks, almost a whisper, “Do you know why you’ve never protested?”

“Huh?”

When Obito pulls back to look at Kakashi, the latter is surprised to see the serious look on his face. Almost grim.

“The reason why you’ve never protested to any of my demands,” Obito says, voice calm and emotionless, almost frighteningly so, “is because I’ve never asked you anything I know you would say no to.”

Kakashi’s eyebrows knit together, confused. “What?”

“I am a master of manipulation. I can read people almost cruelly well. It’s easy for me to know the right things to say and do to get people to obey to my wishes. How do you think I managed to recruit so many excellent people into Akatsuki?”

The hand on Kakashi’s cheek drops down to his neck as Obito gives him a small smile.

“I know you well, too. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I can read you and your limits and push you delicately right at its borders. I know there are things I can get you to do. Things that you might not like but are willing to do anyways, just for me.”

Kakashi purses his lips, listening quietly.

“But just as I know the things within your limits, I know the ones outside it, too,” Obito finally says. “I know there are things you would never agree to do, so I would never ask you them.”

“Things I won’t do?”

“Like you leaving the police force and joining me. Or us running away together and starting a new life somewhere. Or,” Obito leans in, lips a breath’s away from his own, “of you forgetting the past. Of you forgiving me for what I did.”

Kakashi inhales shakily, body trembling when Obito closes the distance and kisses him softly, sweetly, and his eyes clenches in pain.

Because Obito’s right. He knows Kakashi too well.

“I’m sorry,” Obito whispers when they break apart.

Kakashi bites hard on his lip, shaking his head.

“I don’t know how to love,” he says.

“You don’t know how to love,” Kakashi echoes.

“Teach me.”

Kakashi lifts his eyes up, staring into the black swirls that are Obito’s eyes, chaotic. And pure affections. A million contradicting things hidden in their depths. “Teach you?”

The other nods. “Teach me how to love you right. To treat you right.”

Kakashi’s breath hitches, keeping his eyes fixed onto Obito’s, an unwavering captivation.

“Tell me what you want,” Obito says.

Reaching a trembling hand up, Kakashi caresses the other’s cheek, exhaling in stuttered breaths before he replies, “You. I just want you. No lies, no pretenses, no games. Just you, the person underneath all the facade.”

Obito inhales deeply, like he’s trying to take this in. Let himself out, open, raw, and says, “Okay. I’ll try, for you.”

And when they kiss again, Kakashi wonders if, hidden underneath all the madness, piled upon years and years of deceptions and cruelties, he will be able to see the real Obito someday.

☩

Kakashi barely gets two steps into the hallway when there’s a playful push at his back, making him stumble forward.

“Kakashi! I knew you’d come back to us!”

Kakashi watches as Deidara bounces in front of him with a wide grin.

“Not quite. He’s still a cop, you know,” another voice chimes in before Konan appears on his other side, equally mischievous grin on her face.

“Aww really?” the other mock-pouts. “It’s okay. Little steps! You’ll see the error of your ways soon. I mean, who would take being a boring cop over Akatsuki, right?”

“Yahiko did,” a third voice pipes up from behind Deidara, and Kakashi looks past the shorter man to see Itachi approaching.

Urg. Kakashi unwittingly cringes. The last time they had seen each other, Itachi had shot him in the arm and broken his other wrist.

“Well, hello to you too, Itachi,” Konan greets lightly, no doubt sensing the tense atmosphere as Deidara narrows his eyes at the newcomer.

“Shut up. Yahiko’s just been led astray. He’ll come back to us like Kakashi did soon enough.”

Itachi frowns back, shifting his eyes from Kakashi to Deidara. “Is that any way for you to speak to your second-in-command?”

“If you think I’m gonna defer to you when you hold the same Diamond card as me, then you’re sorely mistaken. Obito is my only boss.”

“If anything happens to Obito, I will be your boss."

“Are you trying to say you want something to happen to Obito so you can be the boss then?” Deidara snaps back.

The enraged flash in Itachi’s eyes is telling enough when he growls, “How dare you suggest―”

“Hey hey hey!” Konan calls out, sliding between them effortlessly when it looks like the two are close to clawing each other’s face out. “If you wanna fight, take it somewhere where our lackeys can’t see you. It’s unsightly for two members of the Elites to fight so barbarically. Do you wanna tarnish our rep?”

“We weren’t fighting,” Itachi mumbles, gritting his teeth. He gives one last glare to Deidara before turning around, facing Kakashi who has been silently watching the commotion, almost in surprise.

He had assumed all the Elites generally get along with each other. Then again, it seemed like most of the Elites―like Deidara and Konan―hadn’t actually met Itachi before due to him being a spy in the police force, so they probably didn’t take too kindly of this total stranger who got promoted to being Akatsuki’s second-in-command all of a sudden.

“Hello there, Kakashi,” Itachi says, voice calm and neutral, not a hint of emotions in his words.

“Hi,” Kakashi greets back blandly.

“I realize the last time we met, it was not… in the best of circumstances,” Itachi begins. “But I do hope there won’t be any bad blood between us from now on.”

 _I’m pretty sure you’re the one who’s having any bad blood with me_ , Kakashi retorts internally, but replies, “Sure.”

“He already got disciplined for his wrongdoings,” a voice murmurs in his ear as arms link themselves around his waist, a familiar weight pressed up against his back. “Isn’t that right, Itachi?”

“Y―Yes,” Itachi stutters, taken off guard and immediately schooling his expressions. Off to the sides, Kakashi sees Deidara and Konan still, equally surprised. “This was my apology.”

Kakashi widens his eyes as he watches Itachi slide the sleeve of his shirt up, revealing faint traces of a scar suspiciously on the same right arm that Kakashi also got shot at.

“I also broke my left wrist, but it healed,” he adds.

Kakashi gapes, not knowing what to say when Obito speaks again, “Itachi is good to me, so forgive him, okay?”

“Y―Yeah, sure,” Kakashi answers distractedly. He can feel the burning of Itachi’s eyes on him even though the other man is obviously trying to dial it back in front of Obito’s presence.

“Well, now that that’s cleared up!” Deidara claps his hand together, disrupting the stiff atmosphere. “Let’s ignore the trivial interruption that so rudely barged in on us and go back to what I was gonna talk to you about, Kakashi!”

Itachi instantly flares up at that, but settles for glaring holes into the man speaking instead of acting out, probably because Obito is still attached to Kakashi’s back, a chin resting casually on his shoulder.

“There’s a party this weekend! The daugther of the CEO of Haruno Electric’s birthday, and Akatsuki―well, the Elites―are invited! Would you like to come along?”

“Haruno Electric?” That’s the name of the biggest Electricity provider in the country, if Kakashi’s knowledge is correct.

“Her father is one of our many… clients,” Obito tells him.

“Clients as in helping you arrange a busted pipe and blown-up basement?” Kakashi asks dryly, giving the other a sidelong look.

Obito simply chuckles. “Among many other things.”

“See, this is why I’m ecstatic that you’re back, Kakashi!” Deidara exclaims. “No one can talk back to our boss here like you do. Right, Itachi?”

If looks could kill, Deidara would already be withering on the floor due to the force of Itachi’s glare. Alas, all he says back is, “Sure.”

Satisfied with Itachi’s constipated face, Deidara turns his attention back to Kakashi. “So will you be coming?”

“All the Elites will be there,” Konan adds. “Boss, too.”

“You’re going?” Kakashi asks, curious.

“Mnn. He is an… important client,” Obito answers.

“I see,” Kakashi says. “Okay. I’ll go, too.”

“Great, I’m so excited! Haruno CEO is riiiiich, so I bet his daugther's party won’t be anything less than absolute extravaganza!”

Deidara and Konan start gushing about the parties they’ve attended in the past, and Kakashi is too distracted by both them and Itachi’s silent gaze towards him during the conversation, to notice the small smirk resting against the skin of his nape from Obito.

☩

The reunion earlier today with the other Elites reminded him one thing.

“Obito,” Kakashi calls out, perched on a big rock next to the pond in the far end of the living room, watching aimlessly as colorful koi fish swim about.

“Hmn?”

“Regarding your… operations,” he begins, “how are those working out?”

“What do you mean?” The other asks, turning his attention to him from the movie he’s been watching on the giant monitor spanning across one of the walls.

Obito’s place is honestly like a scene from a movie, Kakashi thinks distractedly as he looks up from the pond to the waterfall above connected to it, water beautifully flowing down gently.

“When you said you had to get situated six months ago, due to certain members leaving. Are you doing okay regarding that?”

Obito hums. “I make do. After all, I did lose my strongest Elite.”

“Do you fault him for it?”

“Not really. I’ve always known he was terribly smitten for Yahiko. I expected one of them would break. What surprised me was Yahiko willing to let Nagato go with him, I guess.”

“Because he loves him,” Kakashi says.

“Right. Love does strange things to people, I suppose.”

Kakashi keeps silent, a finger dipping into the water and swirling it around, careful not to scare any of the fish away. “So you don’t fault him for it?”

“No,” Obito answers. “Nagato had served me extremely well. Without him, overthrowing my old man and taking over Akatsuki would’ve been much more difficult. After all, the only ones I got on my side back then was him, Kisame, and Itachi.”

Kakashi nods. Those three were the initial members. “You know, they’re in hiding right now.”

“Are they.”

“You know I’m close to Yahiko, right,” Kakashi says. “He told me, well, that they don’t really have anywhere to go―can’t come back to the police with Nagato in tow, but can’t really go anywhere else, either.”

Obito tilts his head at him when he asks, “Are you trying to tell me something, Kakashi?”

Kakashi takes a deep breath, then says, “Will you be willing to let them come back?”

Obito smiles as he watches Kakashi walk over to him, plopping down onto the marble table in front of the couch. “A spy and a defector, hmn?” he mumbles, reaching a hand out to settle onto Kakashi’s thigh, past his shorts to where the X mark has yet to heal. “You want me to let them back?”

“Yeah,” Kakashi breathes, a bit distracted as he feels Obito fingers over the mark, tracing along the ridges of the blood clot. “You know how close I was to Yahiko, and I miss him. And you said you didn’t fault Nagato.”

“I don’t fault Nagato, but does Yahiko fault me? After all, I’m the boss of the group that killed his sister.”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Kakashi argues. “Just like how it wasn’t Nagato’s fault. That’s why they’re still together. And their only goal is to be together. If the police won’t take Nagato in, then won’t Akatsuki be their sanctuary, instead?”

Kakashi grabs onto Obito’s free hand, clinging needily as he tries his best to put on a kicked-puppy look.

The other laughs lightly. “Are you trying to seduce me into agreeing?”

“Is it working?” Kakashi answers cheekily, shifting forward on the table, resulting in Obito’s fingers playing on his thigh to dive deeper between the folds of his legs.

“Hmn, I don’t know,” the other singsongs, sliding his arm further in until he ghosts along Kakashi’s crotch. A lone middle finger trails from the curve of his half-hard member down to the very bottom, pressing against the spot that would be Kakashi’s entrance if not for the flimsy underwear separating them. “Why don’t you try a little harder, baby?”

Kakashi lets out a soft moan, hands instinctively squeezing onto Obito’s still clutched in his grasp. “W―What would you like for me to do?” Kakashi asks, feeling his heart beating as he takes in the dark depths of Obito’s eyes, the way his lips curve into a devious smirk.

The other opts to pull at the arm Kakashi is still clinging to towards himself, down until both of their hands are brushing against Obito’s crotch, his bulge visibly straining against the tight jeans he’s wearing.

“I’ve missed your pretty pink lips wrapped around my cock,” Obito murmurs, freeing his hand to reach up and nudge a thumb at Kakashi’s bottom lip, feeling the flutter of Kakashi’s moan vibrating against his skin when Obito’s other hand slips their way past his underwear, a finger tracing teasingly around the rim.

“Obito…” Kakashi mewls when the finger dips inside, sliding along his walls leisurely.

“Just one finger and you’re already a moaning mess,” Obito comments.

A soundless gasp escapes his throat when Obito suddenly thrusts two fingers into his mouth, sinking against his tongue and jamming down his throat, mimicking the action of a cock inside his mouth.

“Does this turn you on, ‘Kashi?” Obito asks, voice low and velvety as he continues to play with the inside of Kakashi’s mouth. “Do you need cock so badly that I can jam fingers down your throat and you’d love it anyways? Your hole clenched on me the moment you had something inside your mouth. Do you want it so badly?”

Kakashi moans around the digits on his tongue. He can feel saliva dripping loosely past his lips and down his chin from the way his mouth is kept open with Obito’s fingers. Down below, Obito’s other hand is keeping busy when he inserts a second finger inside Kakashi, making the latter shiver at the intrusion.

“Look at you,” Obito murmurs, eyes fixed onto Kakashi’s glassy eyes. “I don’t even have to use my cock to fill up both of your holes. Does it feel good, ‘Kashi?”

Kakashi exhales hazily around his fingers, his two hands dropping from clutching onto Obito’s outstretched arm down to his crotch, gesturing.

“But you want the real thing, don’t you?” Obito asks smoothly, ramming his fingers in harshly, digging onto Kakashi’s prostate and making the other spasm around him. “This isn’t enough―you want a cock, don’t you? In your mouth―in your hole. Fucking you until you can’t think straight anymore. Isn’t that right, ‘Kashi?”

Kakashi babbles around his fingers, unable to speak coherently with the digits still jammed inside his mouth. His shaky hands scramble at the zipper on Obito’s jeans, pulling them down.

“Kakashi,” Obito mutters, finally pulling his fingers out of Kakashi’s mouth, leaving him wheezing and trying to gulp in the saliva that had been gathering and sliding past his lips. “Now answer my question,” he says, jabbing at his prostate again in warning.

Kakashi whimpers, hands faltering on the other’s jeans momentarily. “Yes, yes.”

“Yes what?”

Kakashi breathes out shakily as Obito continues to play inside him, dragging against his spot every second he doesn’t answer. Kakashi’s head is spinning, mind a mess, and all he can see in front of him are Obito’s familiar pitch-black eyes and feel the hard bulge beneath his fingertips, almost there―

“ _Kakashi_.”

“Yes, yes,” Kakashi repeats mindlessly. “I want your cock in me. I want to feel it push past my lips, laying heavily on my tongue again. I want it in my mouth so badly―”

“You want to suck my cock?”

“I want to suck your cock, please, Obito―”

Obito pulls out of Kakashi smoothly before gripping onto his shoulders, pushing him downward.

Kakashi barely feels it when his knees hit the plush carpet, kneeling in front of Obito’s spread legs. In a faint corner of his memories, he remembers this position before.

He remembers loving it before―loving the feel of being a good boy and making Obito feel good.

Obito says, “I’m all yours,” with a haughty smirk, and Kakashi stares up at Obito wildly, feeling lost inside the dark abyss that is his gaze, before pulling the other’s jeans down, guiding the cock past his trembling, parted lips and into his mouth.

☩

There is something captivating in watching the long eyelashes flutter against Kakashi’s cheeks when his eyes drift shut as he shifts forward. Obito reaches out and brushes a few stray strands of hair away, the silver locks silky under his fingertips.

It makes him aware the last time they’d done this, Kakashi’s hair was shorter and spiky, giving the younger man a delinquent look. Back when he still hadn’t remembered anything.

Back when there was still a chance of a different outcome between them.

But Kakashi is still here. Cherrypink lips wrapped around his cock steadily, willingly.

Willingly?

Obsidian eyes open when Kakashi looks up at him from beneath his lashes, eyes glassy as he bobs his head up and down the length, pale, long fingers wrapping around the base where his lips can’t touch. He’s gotten a lot better at this―than that first awkward and unsure time so long ago, when he had let Obito take the reins and accepted everything he gave him.

Ah, what is it about today and his tendency to reminisce?

In an attempt to stop his rambling thoughts, Obito smooths a palm along the curve of the other’s nape and jerks him forward suddenly, feeling the head of his cock hitting against the back of Kakashi’s throat as the latter’s eyes widen, choking on the intruder.

“How does it feel, ‘Kashi?” he asks, entranced by the tears already gathering in the corners of the other’s eyes, but Kakashi isn’t protesting as he simply tries to breathe heavily around the cock blocking his airway, his hand shaking on Obito’s thigh. “Can you feel me, deep inside you? Does it hurt? Should I pull out?”

Kakashi brings wavering eyes to him for a moment before digging fingernails into Obito’s skin as he petulantly pushes forward, in in in until just about the whole length is inside his mouth, his nose and lips brushing against the patch of hair where the base of Obito’s cock is.

“What a good boy,” Obito comments sotto voce, swaying his hips a little to feel the vibrations of Kakashi’s throat hitting against him, the tightness and constricting space he’s nestled in, the way a tear slips down Kakashi’s cheek unconsciously and yet holding still for Obito to rock inside. “Do you like my cock that much? Do you like keeping a part of me inside you? Tell me how much you like it.”

Kakashi lets out a moan, throat rumbling and sending shivers down his member, making his fingers curl on the couch they’re resting on. The way the younger’s lips are stretched wide around his length is obscene, and Obito trails a lone finger across a protruded cheek, nudging it and feeling himself through the thin skin of Kakashi’s mouth.

“You look so good like this,” he murmurs, retracting the hand that was on Kakashi’s nape to lean back arrogantly, staring down at Kakashi. “Now come on, suck my cock properly. Show me what good boys do to get rewarded.”

At these words, there’s a heavy inhale from the younger before he pulls backward, making sure to scrape his teeth against the length as he slides out until his lips are wrapped only around the crown. Then, Kakashi swirls his tongue underneath the head, sucking wetly and dragging it forward until the cock is fully inside him again.

“You’ve gotten really good at this,” Obito mutters to himself, placing a palm at the top of Kakashi’s head, stroking his hair leisurely. Is this because Obito’s been training him to, before? Kakashi hadn’t even had sex before he met Obito, yet now he can suck cock like a pro.

Obito is tainting him, that’s for sure. But is this a good thing?

Why am I second-guessing myself? Obito thinks, narrowing his eyes. That burning feeling is coming back, and in another attempt for a distraction, he snaps his hips forward, fucking into Kakashi’s mouth harshly.

At the sudden noise of choking erupting from Kakashi’s throat, Obito pulls out, staring down at the latter wildly.

“Sorry,” he says, his thoughts running amok inside his head even as his face shuts off outwardly, appearance calm. “I guess I just really want to fuck you today, after all. Can we take it slow another time?”

Kakashi stares up at him for a moment, mostly trying to control his breathing from the rawness of his throat, before replying, “Sure. You know you can do anything you want with me.”

Obito keeps their eyes locked together, studying him. “…You know you don’t have to do that to keep your place in Akatsuki anymore, right?”

“I know,” Kakashi answers lightly, standing up and climbing onto his lap, straddling him. “But what if I want to?”

When Kakashi connects their lips together, Obito can taste himself lingering on his tongue.

“Now fuck me,” Kakashi whispers into his ear, low and seductive. “Like you want to. Like I want you to.”

When Kakashi pulls back to look at him, an innocent smile on his face even as he reaches down to stroke at Obito’s cock, Obito doesn’t say anything back but kisses that smile off his face again.

☩

Kakashi makes a small noise when the other drops him onto the bed and crashes their lips together again, kissing him wetly as his tongue slides all over the inside of Kakashi’s mouth. He feels his limbs melting, heat rising up from the pits of his stomach as Obito leans closer, crushing him against the sheets.

“You’re so beautiful,” Obito whispers against his lips, his palms fondling the smooth expanses of Kakashi’s thighs, making the latter shivers out of sensitivity.

“Mnn,” Kakashi allows, voice muffled by the back of his hand, but it soon turns into a moan as Obito lowers his head and takes one of his nipples between his lips, licking across the peak. As his tongue continues to lavish attention on the bud, his fingers are playing with the other one, pinching lightly and pulling it up teasingly. “Ah—Obito!”

“Look at them,” Obito marvels, lifting his head only to rub at the now-wet nipple, flicking it and watching the way it bounces haughtily. “Look at how they stand up and puff out with just a little bit of attention. You’re so fucking _sensitive_ , I love it.”

Before Kakashi manages to churn out an answer, Obito bends down and takes his cock inside his mouth, wet heat enveloping him immediately and making him almost jolt off the bed. He looks down and feels the breath knocked out of him as he locks eyes with the older man, who’s staring straight at him with eyes as dark as the dead of night, lips still wrapped around his cock and sucking on it leisurely.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi gasps, throwing his head back when the other starts deep-throating him, sliding down his length, and the feeling is so, so amazing. Despite the boldness Kakashi felt when he initiated this earlier, his mind starts teetering on the brink of pure white as Obito keeps touching him just right, making his vision splotchy and eyes stinging with immense pleasure.

Two fingers make their way inside him again, nudging on his walls, and Kakashi mewls, feeling the familiar aching down below, and it’s not enough, not enough―

“Obito, please―”

The older releases his cock and leans up to peck at Kakashi’s trembling lips. “Hmm? What is it, ‘Kashi?”

“P―Please, I can’t take this anymore, Obito― _Hnnrg―_ ” he chokes on his words as Obito spreads the fingers still inside him, gliding against his wall slowly, almost torturously. He places a shaky hand onto the older man’s bicep, eyes pleading. “Please just fuck me, please―”

Obito is placing chaste kisses all over his face, and Kakashi feels his heart flutter. “And how would I go about doing that, hmn? Tell me what exactly it is you want me to do.”

“Obito,” he whines, then breaks into a gasp when Obito inserts a third finger in, gliding against his walls but not at the one spot he wants it the most.

“Tell me what it is you want me to do, ‘Kashi. You’re a good boy for me, right? A good boy always does what he’s told to do,” Obito says, and Kakashi’s eyes snap open at the sentence.

“P―Please put your cock in me. I want you to fuck me, Obito. Please please please―”

“Shhh, alright, I’ve got you,” Obito hushes him, clearly pleased with his answer if the curl of his lips is any indication. He pecks Kakashi on the lips sweetly, a gentle hand stroking his sweat-matted hair. “Spread your legs for me, hmn? I’ll give you what you want, baby.”

A whimper slips out of his lips and Kakashi obediently parts his legs wider, letting the older settles between them.

“Good boy,” the other whispers, voice a wicked lilt before he grips onto the back of Kakashi’s thighs and finally pushes in.

“Mmn,” Kakashi moans as he takes in the feeling of being filled. It’s so good, it’s so nice―the feeling of Obito’s cock inside him, stretching his body to its limits and rubbing against his walls in the most delicious of ways.

“Fuck, you feel incredible inside, ‘Kashi. Do you know how fucking _tight_ you are?” Obito grunts, voice dropping an octave at the last sentence, making Kakashi shudder. “Squeezing around me like that. Makes me want to just _pound_ you into this goddamn mattress.”

“Then do it,” Kakashi whines, “Fuck me, Obito—“

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll fuck you real good,” Obito growls, lifting up Kakashi’s legs higher in the air before he slams back in, and Kakashi’s wail is so loud he vaguely wonders if there are maids nearby

Before he can contemplate on the potential embarrassment of someone having heard him, Obito is already hovering over him, bending Kakashi effectively in half as he continues to drive into him, each thrust sinking him into the mattress, and Kakashi’s fingers twist in the bedsheets in desperation.

“Does it feel good, ‘Kashi? Do you like the way I’m pounding into you? You like it rough and hard, don’t you? Want me to fuck you so hard you’ll feel it for days, for weeks, after, don’t you?” Obito says, and for some reason, his voice is clear through the mist clouding Kakashi’s mind.

Or maybe Obito is the only thing Kakashi can register―can latch onto―anymore.

“Yes, it feels good, I―Ah―!” Obito’s strong hands suddenly press Kakashi’s legs down, down down until they rest onto his own chest, his knees hitting against his chin.

Obito then lifts Kakashi's entire bottom half off the bed, being held up only by their bodies connecting, and the new position makes the other’s cock slide even deeper inside Kakashi.

“Obito, oh god, I―” Kakashi mumbles in a daze, vision whitening out as every thrust sends Obito buried even further inside him.

“You want my cock fucking you like this?” Obito continues again, voice close to his ears as he leans down, as though making sure that he’s doing it right—that this how Kakashi wants it.

And it is.

“Yes, yes, I do,” Kakashi answers breathlessly as he can feel the cock digging deep inside him, hitting on his bundle of nerves relentlessly, and it feels so good―so good―

Obito’s hands are braced onto Kakashi’s hips, steadying the body beneath him as he pounds the latter into the mattress, like he said he wanted to, and Kakashi―

Kakashi feels his head spinning, eyes hazy and unfocused onto the ceiling, staring but not actually _seeing_ what’s before him. His world is splintering into cracks of white every time Obito hits his prostate dead-on, and it’s too much― _too much―_

“You feel good, don’t you, ‘Kashi? This is the way you are meant to be fucked―harsh and powerful, my cock imbedding deep inside you, impaling you over and over. None of that gentle, nauseating shit that Minato―”

“Ah, Obito—“ Kakashi tries to say, wanting to let Obito know there is absolutely nothing between him and Minato, but then Obito is pounding into him again, so hard the bed is shaking and scratching against the wall, and Kakashi’s mind is lost once more at the overwhelming feeling of being so full.

“I’ll fuck you over and over until you’re filled with nothing but my name on your lips and my come inside you,” the other breathes, soft and low, and Kakashi can feel lips brushing against the shell of his left ear.

“O―Obito―”

“That’s right, that’s my name. It’s the only name you should ever moan out―not Minato’s, not anyone else’s,” Obito is speaking to him through the thrusts, and Kakashi almost wishes he would slow down for a second so the latter can have half a mind to digest his words. “Show me how much of a good boy you are for me, baby,” Obito says, and Kakashi, without a second thought, wraps his trembling arms around Obito’s neck before pulling him down for a kiss.

Obito reacts immediately, tongue pushing deep inside Kakashi like he’s trying to devour him whole. Kakashi moans right into the other’s mouth as he feels a hand at his cock, stroking him with quick, precise movements, and then―

―Kakashi feels his eyes roll back as his vision splatters white―

―Obito swallowing his soundless scream as he comes, staining his stomach and the hand still around his now-soft member.

“Fuck,” the other curses, and Kakashi doesn’t realize until a few seconds later that Obito has broken the kiss and stilted his hips. Stopped pounding into him.

Then there is a warm palm at his cheek, guiding Kakashi’s eyes to meet Obito’s.

Kakashi blinks blearily up at the older man in confusion. “Obito…?”

There is a dark, but remarkedly calm look in the almost pitch-black of Obito’s eyes. He doesn’t answer Kakashi, but he does lean forward―

―to press his lips to Kakashi’s in a soul-searing kiss.

It’s unlike the heated kisses they had shared earlier. This kiss is deep, leaving him breathless, but there is something so, _so_ _gentle_ about it, about the way Obito’s tongue delves deep into the crevices of Kakashi’s mouth, licking every corner, but not in a frenzied, close to painful way.

There is something calm about this kiss, like the brief calm Kakashi had seen reflected in Obito’s eyes moments before he leaned down. Something serene. Something _meaningful._

But it is no less breathtaking. And when Obito finally pulls up, Kakashi can’t help the haphazard panting, puffs of air leaving his lips and hitting onto Obito’s own.

Then the older man’s lips curl, not into the wicked smirks Kakashi often sees on him, but the lopsided, sincere one that never fails to make his heart race.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Kakashi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been explicitly stated numerous times, but in case I haven't made it clear, Minato has no romantic feelings for Kakashi, nor does he actually want to bang him lol


	12. Chapter 12

The party this time honestly isn’t that much different from Deidara’s party. There’s still the huge mansion, the array of people in expensive, fancy clothings, the waiters milling about pushing carts to offer the guests drinks, and the glimmering chandeliers shining above them.

There are no masks this time, though, and his teammates aren’t here.

Kakashi stands, lost in thoughts for a few moments before there’s a touch of lips on his neck, a fleeting kiss.

“What are you thinking about?”

Kakashi turns to the side to see Obito next to him, a leisure smile on his face. He looks exceptionally dashing today in a black suit and styled up hair, an easy but effortlessly classy and handsome look.

Kakashi briefly wonders if, in a different life, with different circumstances, Obito could’ve undoubtedly been a model, or an actor, or some career that would cater to his every whim because of his face alone.

 _Although, he already has everyone catering to him as a mafia boss anyways,_ Kakashi thinks grumpily.

“Baby, what’s with that face? Do you not like this party?”

“Ah, no,” Kakashi replies. His thoughts keep wandering tonight for some reason. “I don’t even know if I like it or not, I just got here.”

“Hmn, well. Would you like to meet some people? I can introduce you to them if you’d like.”

Kakashi perks up. “Really?”

“Yeah. There’s a lot of big-names at this party,” Obito discloses, raking his eyes across the mass of people surrounding them casually.

It’s only when Kakashi mimics his action that he realizes that, well, almost everyone around them is staring at him.

Or Obito.

Probably Obito. Who wouldn’t stare at the notorious boss of the biggest crime organization in the country? Especially since behind closed doors, every big-name is shady as hell―like the Haruno Electric CEO―and have probably worked with Akatsuki once or twice. Or more.

“Do you want to start with our guest of honor?” Obito asks, gesturing to a crowd of people in the other end of the room. “I need to go say hi to him anyways.”

Kakashi nods, following the other as they make their way forward.

As they come closer, Kakashi can make out an old man leaning on a cane in the middle of the crowd, standing next to a young girl with pink hair, those two obviously the center of attention. Next to the girl, various people are talking to her, probably giving birthday wishes, and the girl is grinning at someone, waving her goodbye as the other person turns around, and then―

Oh shit.

“Kakashi?”

Kakashi freezes in place, eyes widening in disbelief as Minato of all people stalks his way over, face equally surprised.

“What are you doing here? This is―”

“He came with me, of course,” a voice speaks up from beside him, and Kakashi startles as Obito slides an arm around his waist, settling there like it’s where he belongs.

Minato’s eyes narrow instantly. “Obito.”

“Nice to see you too, big brother,” Obito greets, a pleasant smile on his face. “Oh wait, should I not call you that here? What would people think if they knew the highly praised Chief Superintendent of the CID is brothers with the boss of Akatsuki, hmn?”

“I should’ve known you’d be here too, what with your foul connection with Haruno Electrics.”

“Are you one to talk, when you’re attending their party yourself?”

“I didn’t come here for that old man, I came here for Sakura―Urg. My business has nothing to do with you.”

“Uchiha Minato, ever the bleeding heart,” Obito comments dryly.

“Don’t call me by that name,” the other growls. “Anyways, I’m not here for you. I’m―” When Minato shifts his gaze over to Kakashi again, the latter finds himself cringing inwardly. “Kakashi, why are you here?”

“I was invited to this party, and I took my lover with me,” Obito answers before Kakashi can open his mouth.

“Your lover,” Minato presses his lips together.

“Isn’t he? After all, I’m the one who can do this to him in public, right?” Without giving Kakashi a chance to react, Obito swishes in and kisses him on the lips, a palm holding his cheek as his tongue delve deep inside Kakashi’s mouth for all the world to see.

Kakashi’s head is spinning when Obito lets go, wheezing harshly―partly because of the deep kiss just now, but also because of how furious Minato looks afterward.

“You―”

Kakashi widens his eyes in alarm when Minato takes a step forward, approaching them. He’s prepared to step in between them to stop if Minato ever decides to punch Obito in the face or something, when there’s another body sliding swiftly in front of him, effectively blocking Minato’s path.

“Have you really changed for the worse in just a few months since I last saw you, big brother?” a voice says smoothly, emotionlessly, and Kakashi blinks when he realizes it’s Itachi. “A policeman about to start a fight in public? How low have you gone?”

“Itachi,” Minato says, clearly taken aback before he collects himself and snaps back, “Don’t talk to me about how low I’ve gone without taking a look in the mirror yourself.”

The other shrugs nonchalantly. “What, are you still mad over that? I was a victim too, you know. Do you have any idea how exhausting it was for me to be treated like some innocent little kid by you for years? Do you know how burdensome it was for me?”

Something like hurt flashes in Minato’s eyes, before it quickly turns into a look of disappointment. “Oh, don’t worry—“

Kakashi resists a sigh as he snaps, “You guys are ridiculous.”

All three men blink at him. “What?”

Kakashi glances around. Basically everyone in their general vicinity is watching them with curiosity in their eyes, like they’re some afternoon TV drama. Kakashi gives a withering stare at the crowd before turning to look at Minato.

“Chief Namikaze,” he addresses the older man. “Remember what I told you?” He gives him a pointed look. “I can take care of myself, okay?”

“That’s right, Kakashi can take care of himself―”

“Obito,” Kakashi looks to the other man disapprovingly, cutting him off. “You knew this. You planned this, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, ‘Kashi,” the other says, giving him an innocent smile.

Kakashi gives an exasperated stare. No doubt Obito knew Minato would be at the party too, and had wanted to show Kakashi up to stake his claim or something to his former older brother.

Completely childish.

“Mr. Haruno is staring,” Itachi mumbles suddenly, making them all look to that direction. Indeed, the old man is staring at them inquisitively, no doubt wondering what the commotion is that broke the attention away from the host of the party.

“I gotta go say hi to him,” Obito mutters after a moment of silent staring, walking away with his hand wrapped around Kakashi’s wrist. “Let’s go, baby.”

Kakashi gives one last look at Minato, assuring the older man that he’s okay, and follows Obito to meet Mr. Haruno.

“Come here, let me introduce you to one of my old-time friends. Mr. Haruno, this is my lover, Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi, this is the CEO of Haruno Electrics. Surely you’ve heard of them, right?”

“Of course. I’ve always been curious to meet the man behind the biggest Electricity Provider in the country,” Kakashi says amicably, shaking hands with the man in question.

 _‘Old-time friends?’_ _Sure, if Obito’s twenty-four years old self and a mid-fifty-looking old man can be “friends”,_ Kakashi thinks with distaste.

“Oh, you do flatter me too much,” the old man says. He barely has time to get much else out when a young woman comes up to him, bowing politely.

“Mr. Haruno, Mr. Nara is here, and he’d like to speak to you for a moment.”

“…Ah,” the old man hums contemplatively. Then, he turns to Kakashi and Obito. “I’d hate to cut this short, but I have someone I need to meet. Enjoy the party, yes? I’d love to talk more with you and Kakashi here later.”

“Of course, it’s no problem, Mr. Haruno,” Obito replies back with a smile.

“Ah, Obito. Remember, the… congregation is next week. You’d best leave this weekend, if you want a few days to tour and relax.”

“Thank you for the advice. I might just do that,” Obito nods at him before the old man leaves. Then, Obito turns to Kakashi with an airy smile. “Come. Let’s find a place to sit. I’ve been standing for too long.”

Kakashi quietly follows the other as they walk towards the lounge corner of the room. The area is dimly-litted and seems more relaxed and idle compared to the center where people are loudly chatting with bright lights hanging above. Here, there are a few couches of mostly couples being quietly intimate and small groups of people playing cards and drinking, since it’s situated right in front of the bar.

Obito pulls him onto one of the couches and signals a passing server for a drink.

“Hey, Obito,” Kakashi calls out as he sits beside him and plops his head down onto Obito’s shoulder, taking in the people around him. As expected, most of them are surreptitiously shooting them looks ever since they spotted Obito walking towards them.

Obito truly turns heads wherever he goes, and Kakashi mildly wonders if it’s due to his reputation or his good looks.

“Hmn?”

“What did Mr. Haruno mean, about the… congregation? Are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah. I’ll be going to Ame for a week. Business, you know.”

 _Ame,_ Kakashi repeats internally. That’s a whole different country. Kakashi knows Akatsuki has connections globally, too, but for Obito himself to come to Ame… It must be for something important.

“So you’ll be leaving me?” Kakashi asks with a pout, looking up at him.

The other chuckles and pecks his lips. “Don’t make that face. I’m sure you can survive a week without me.”

“But we just barely got back together,” he protests. “And now you’ll be gone for a whole week?”

“Baby, you’ve gone months without me before. I’m sure you’ll be okay,” he replies nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.

“Fine! If you really want to leave me that badly, I guess I can find Minato to fill my lonely days,” Kakashi huffs, making to pull away when there’s a sudden harsh grip at his waist, squeezing almost painfully. “Ah…”

“Don’t be a bad boy, ‘Kashi,” Obito whispers, low with hidden warning, and Kakashi has to resist the urge to smirk.

“Then take me with you. I want to come along, too.”

“Why? So you can make sure I don’t do anything too illegal on my trip and handcuff me when I do?” Obito laughs lightly, distracted when Kakashi leans closer to snuggle at the crook of his neck.

“Yeah,” Kakashi whispers, lips brushing teasingly over the column of the other’s throat. “Take me there so I can ruin everything for you.”

“And what would I get out of it?” Obito breathes, pulling Kakashi up and sideways until the latter is straddling his lap on the couch.

When Kakashi tilts forward, resting his forehead against Obito’s and their lips mere millimeters away from each other, he murmurs, a provocative tone, “You can ruin me in exchange. How about that?”

There’s a hand at his back, shoving him abruptly forward onto Obito’s chest as the latter smashes his lips with Kakashi’s, giving him a heated kiss, the alcohol on Obito’s tongue lingering between them. Their crotches are brushing against each other’s and Kakashi can’t help but let out a small moan when he can feel the hardness inside Obito’s pants already.

“Tell me, when did you become such a fucking tease, ‘Kashi?” Obito growls, catching Kakashi’s bottom lip between his teeth and nibbling on it.

Kakashi lets out a breathy laugh. His lips feel swollen but they kind of sting in a good way. “I only learned from the best,” he mumbles when Obito moves down to lick a wet stripe along his jawline.

“You’re such a bad boy,” Obito says, lips trailing across the pale expanse of Kakashi’s skin.

“Yeah? I’m only bad when you don’t give me what I want.”

When Obito pulls back, his eyes are dark, and Kakashi holds his gaze, eyes challenging at him. Finally, the older man’s lips curve into a lewd smirk.

“Ride me right here on this couch, and I’ll take you to Ame with me.”

Kakashi stills, eyes still locked onto Obito’s, something nefarious yet irresistible within them.

“So? Deal or no deal?”

And this―this question. It was exactly what Obito asked him that night they first met again, when Obito proposed a night of sex in exchange for getting into Tsuki no Me, and Kakashi agreed.

“Fine,” he answers, lips brushing against Obito’s seductively as he whispers, “Deal. I’ll fuck myself on your cock right here on this couch, just for you.”

Kakashi can see Obito stills for a moment before a corner of his mouth curves into pleased smirk.

“Really?” he murmurs, leaning closer to brush lips across the side of his neck, right below his ear.

“Really,” Kakashi replies, tilting his head to give Obito better access. “Do you want me to strip right now?”

“There’s no need for that yet,” Obito tells him, scraping his teeth against Kakashi’s skin as he palms at Kakashi’s crotch, deftly unzipping the tight pants he’s wearing. “Are you dripping already?” he asks, curling fingers around Kakashi’s member, thumb swiping over the slit lazily.

Kakashi smirks briefly, hands bracing himself onto Obito’s shoulders as the other starts to stroke him between their bodies. “Yeah. For you.”

“What an indecent little boy you are,” Obito says, sliding his free arm around to sneak inside Kakashi’s pants, grabbing a handful of his ass and squeezing it playfully. “You’d let me do anything to you, wouldn’t you.”

“Yeah. I’ve always let you do anything you want to me, haven’t I?”

“Slut,” Obito comments mildly as he slides his hand down and prods a finger at Kakashi’s entrance, teasing the rim before plunging in.

Kakashi breathes out steadily at the intrusion, eyes darting around to look. It seems, as expected, most of the attention of the people around their vicinity is on them, men and women alike stopping whatever they were doing to stare silently from their couches. Kakashi doubts they can see much right now, though―the hand stroking Kakashi is hidden between their bodies and Obito’s other hand is inside his pants, not to mention the dim lighting doesn't help, so it’s not like they can explicitly see anything.

Still. He is getting a handjob and being fingered right in front of so many watchful eyes, and Kakashi closes his eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and whispers right into Obito’s ears, “Just for you. I’m only a slut for you. Isn’t this what you’ve trained me for all those months ago?”

The rigid pause from Obito is felt clearly before he inserts in another finger and shoves them roughly inside Kakashi, so deep Kakashi can feel them nudging on his prostate and making him spasm, an unconscious moan spilling past his lips before Kakashi can clamp two palms over his mouth to stop it.

“Mnn…” Kakashi squeezes his eyes shut, feeling the heat rising up his face as his hands shake around his mouth, trying hard not to let any more moans outloud. “O―Obito…”

“You’re really testing my limits, ‘Kashi,” Obito hisses as he continues to fuck him ruthlessly with his fingers on one end and the other curving around his cock expertly. “You would strip yourself and sit yourself down on my cock right now for all to see if I told you to, wouldn’t you? You would ride me and moan my name like a first-class whore if I told you to, wouldn’t you? Right here for everyone to see―how much of a slut you are for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Ah―!” Kakashi mewls, face burying into the crook of Obito’s neck as he is stimulated on both ends, hands gripping tight onto the other’s shoulders. The digits inside him are merciless as they keep pounding onto his spot, making his vision blur as the hand around his cock are stroking in time with the thrusts, and he is so close―so close―

“Answer me, ‘Kashi,” Obito commands.

“Yes, yes! I would let you fuck me here for everyone to see if you wanted to―”

“―But you know I wouldn’t do it,” Obito mutters suddenly, both hands stilling as Kakashi wheezes, head dropping down onto his chest.

“Ah…” Kakashi whimpers as he feels the fingers retracting out of him, the other hand tucking his member back inside his pants as Obito leaves his lower half completely. Kakashi is then lifted up by the shoulders so they can see each other properly.

“You knew I would never fuck you here right in front of everyone, so they could all see you getting wrecked. Not after Amaterasu that day. Not when I’ve become so fucking possessive of you. Right?”

Kakashi locks eyes with Obito’s, breathing heavily as he tries to calm down from the almost-orgasm just now, then finally―finally―his lips curve into a smirk. “I would’ve let you, you know,” he singsongs.

“Only because you knew I wouldn’t do it. That I was only testing you, you devious little minx,” Obito drawls, smirking back as he pulls Kakashi into a deep kiss, all tongue and teeth.

“I’ve spoiled you too much,” he murmurs once they part, standing up and pulling a bleary Kakashi up with him. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed our little show,” he announces suddenly, loudly, startling Kakashi. “Unfortunately, this gorgeous thing here is only for my eyes to feast on. Do feel free to have fun with your significant others if we have left you guys a little… bothered, by our act just now.”

And with that, leaving a gaping audience behind―some of which do look undoubtedly turned on by their “show”―Obito tugs Kakashi away, making quick strides into the hallway until he reaches one of the opened rooms and pushes the younger in, slamming the door behind them.

“Now, where were we?” Obito asks, licking his lips and giving Kakashi a look that can only be described as predatory.

Kakashi gulps, and isn’t even surprised when he finds himself shoved down, face-first onto a desk nearby, and pants pulled down in an instant.

“Fuck, you really make me go crazy, ‘Kashi,” Obito curses, inserting fingers inside Kakashi again, stretching him quickly.

Kakashi only chuckles. “That makes both of us,” he mumbles to himself. Then, more loudly, “You can put it in. I’m ready.”

“I would say you’re still tight, but you’re always so damn tight, no matter how much I fuck you, isn’t that right?” Obito says, then pushes in before Kakashi can have a chance to retort.

“Mnn…” Kakashi moans, hands bracing himself onto the desk as he takes in the familiar sensation of being filled. “Ah, Obito―” he cries out as the other wastes no time snapping his hips, fucking him with sharp, powerful thrusts, sliding Kakashi up and down the surface of the wooden desk each time.

“You’ve gotten too smart for your own good,” Obito is mumbling as he pounds into him, a palm braced flat on the curved spine of Kakashi’s back and the other holding his waist. “You’re really going to be the death of me someday―”

“Isn’t that what you want?” Kakashi manages to retort breathily despite the mind-numbing pleasure wrecking over his body right now. “You want me to kill you―Ah―!”

A particularly harsh thrust pushes Kakashi so far up the desk, his head almost hits the wall. His right hand scrambles to stabilize himself and knocks over a paperweight in the process, and the crashing sound it results in is too loud that they don’t notice it at first.

“Is this what you want, ‘Kashi? To play this game with me?”

“It’s about time, isn’t it―” Kakashi replies, and is about to say more when they finally notice it.

The poundings at the door.

“I know you’re in there. Open this damn door!” a muffled voice shouts from the other side.

 _Minato,_ Kakashi realizes with sudden horror.

They both pause for a second before Obito smirks, slamming into Kakashi again and wrenching an unwitting moan out of him that Minato no doubt can hear.

“Ah, Obito, wait―” Kakashi stutters as Obito keeps rocking into him.

“Why, so you can come in and watch as I fuck Kakashi into this desk?” Obito speaks loudly, intending for Minato to hear. “Never struck you for a voyeur, big brother.”

“Obito so help me if you don’t fucking stop and open the door, I’ll break down this door myself,” Minato is hissing from the other side, the furious tone clear for them to hear.

“Like I would listen to you.” Obito sniggers.

“O—Obito—“

Obito leans down without ceasing the movements of his hips, grinding his member onto that one patch of nerves, leaving Kakashi feeling buzzed, fingers and toes curling in pleasure. “What, are you going to tell me to stop, ‘Kashi? When your hole in clenching on me so eagerly? When you’re _so close_?” he whispers into Kakashi's ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

“I—“ Kakash gasps out a moan, stars splattering in his vision as Obito resumes his fervid thrusting, each one harsh and precise, constantly pressing against his prostate with every push. He can feel every movement of it. How the cock slides against his walls, how thick and heavy and _hot_ it is, leaving a trail of heat everywhere it touches. “N—No,” he stutters out brokenly. The ringing in his ears drowns out Minato’s voice and the poundings on the door. “D—Don’t stop, ah—“

Obito chuckles against the nape of his neck. “That’s a good boy.”

The words sear into Kakashi’s veins and he lets out a shaky whimper. He jolts when Obito’s large palm encases his unattended cock, stroking sensually. With a tight grip around Kakashi’s member, Obito thrusts into his tightness, simultaneously pushing the length into his fist.

“You feel so good around me, ‘Kashi,” Obito marvels as he continues to pound into Kakashi ravenously, giving no rest between each thrust and relentlessly abusing his prostate. “All tight and warm, just for me, hmn?”

“Y—yes, just for you—” Kakashi tries to say, but finds his mind scattering as the devious hand starts stroking his member again. His words are once again morphing into a moan when the other thumbs at his slit, swirling the precome already gathered there.

Kakashi whimpers, cupping his mouth as he loses every bit of sanity to the pleasure the older man is giving him. The estacy coils in his abdomen as he grasps the table to keep himself steady. The pleasure is head-numbing—every time Obito thrusts, it burns such a sinful sweetness into his bones, both the pleasure from getting fucked and having the other jerk him off making his whole body tremble.

“Are you going to come, ‘Kashi?” Kakashi shudders as Obito leans forward, draping himself across his back, breath tickling the skin at his neck. “Come, baby. Let Minato hear how good I’m fucking you.”

“Y—yes, Obi—Obito, please, faster—“ Kakashi mewls as he balls his hand into a fist, the pleasure rising within him.

Obito’s hand picks up the pace, stroking Kakashi firmly and surely, and in no time at all, Kakashi finds himself choking for air as he comes, body convulsing and cum splattering all over the other’s fingers and a bit on the table.

Kakashi wheezes, trying to catch his breath after his orgasm. His cheeks are flushed red, eyes dazed and pupils dilated, hair sticking to his forehead in clumps. His fingers tremble when he grasps the edge of the table, like an anchor for him to hang onto. “Obito…”

It takes a couple more thrusts as Kakashi flutters and tightens around his member for Obito to release, too, hands digging into Kakashi’s hips as he moans generously into his ear.

Kakashi melts into the warm seed deep inside him, taking in the feeling as the gush of come surges forward, filling him to the brim and reaching the deepest, most intimate parts of his body—like Obito’s marking. He can feel it drip out of his entrance as Obito pulls out, white streaking down his scrotum onto his thigh.

They stay like that for awhile, just taking in the pleasurable sensation coursing through them.

The sound of keys unlocking the door is what snaps Kakashi out of the daze. He was barely able to fling himself away from Obito’s grasp, stumbling onto the floor with his pants undone when the door does burst open with a bang!, Minato storming in like the wrath of a God.

The older policeman surveys the scene before him―of Obito casually tucking himself back in, looking vaguely annoyed but also incredibly smug, to Kakashi sprawled out onto the floor below, face flushed and pants unbutton, hands desperately trying to cover himself up even though the flush on his face and his messed-up hair tell clear signs of what they’ve been doing just seconds before.

“Chief—“ Kakashi gasps, hastily zipping his pants and standing up. “W―Why are you here―”

“I thought I told you to stop letting him treat you like a toy!” Minato snaps before he can finish his sentence.

“Excuse me? I do not treat him like a toy,” Obito murmurs, eyes narrowing in displeasure.

“Really? What do you call this, then?”

“We were having sex, because he’s my lover and we’re allowed to fuck whenever we feel like it.”

“Not when you apparently made a show of it out in public for everyone to see!” the older man retorts before bringing frustrated eyes to Kakashi’s. “Do you know how I felt, to come back and hear that apparently he was displaying you for all to see at the Lounge? How low are you willing to let yourself get just for this? You’re better than this, Kakashi!”

“I―”

“What Kakashi and I do is none of your business,” Obito cuts in, clearly angry now. “Now I suggest you leave so my lover and I can continue where we left off. You might be a cop but that doesn’t give you a right to dictate what we do in our private times, dear Chief Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Division,” he enunciates slowly, clearly mocking him.

“You’re right, I have no power to stop what a couple wants to do in their private times,” Minato answers calmly. “But I do have power to order my subordinate around. Hatake Kakashi of Division A of the CID!” he shouts suddenly, voice commanding.

“Y―Yessir!” Kakashi straightens up immediately as he salutes at the older man out of pure instincts as a trained police officer.

“There is a sudden case I need to go over with you right now. I command you to follow me back to the Police Station to look over it. Stat!”

“I―I―” Kakashi darts his eyes nervously back at Obito, who is looking very much like he would shoot Minato in the face if he had a gun right now.

Kakashi actually wouldn’t doubt that the other man has a gun hidden somewhere on his body, but―

“Officer Hatake Kakashi, are you disobeying your commander's order?” Minato asks threateningly.

“N―No. No, sir,” Kakashi relents, watching helplessly as Minato huffs and turns around, stalking out of the room without looking back.

“‘Kashi…” Obito mutters in warning.

“S―Sorry, Obito... I―I’ll be back!” With that, Kakashi grimaces before walking briskly out of the room, following after Minato.

The only thought in his mind is, _Shit. I’m going to be in so much trouble with Obito after this._

☩

“What were you thinking?!” Kakashi shouts as soon as they enter Minato’s office and the latter barely just flipped on the light.

“What was I thinking? What were you thinking?” Minato retorts just as furiously.

“You don’t understand! I had it all planned out! Did you know Obito is going to Ame for a business trip? Even the police didn’t know that! Our intel is a failure! I can’t rely on our networks for shit! I have to get information myself! How do you not see this?!”

“I do know we’re clearly unmatched for them as of now,” the other relents. “But that doesn’t mean you should offer yourself like that to him and let him do such disgusting things just for information!”

“It doesn’t fucking matter!” Kakashi yells at the older man, starting to get annoyed at his meddling ways. “You’re just making things worse! Why did you order me away? Now you’ve just got Obito mad and I don’t even want to think of what he’s gonna do once I get back!”

“That’s the problem! You keep coming back to him!”

“How else am I supposed to take him down? It sure isn’t with our subpar police force! Akatsuki is way too powerful without using shrewd methods. Haven’t you been chasing after him for years with no results that you had to send Yahiko and me undercover?”

“We’ve been over this, I regretted it and won’t do it again!”

“Then how else are we supposed to take him down? And don’t give me that ‘Slow and steady wins the race’ crap because it’s been years for you and Obito keeps beating you over and over!”

Kakashi can see how he has struck a nerve from the sudden change inside Minato’s eyes―the way his blue orbs turn downcast. “I’ve failed to catch him countless times, Kakashi, it’s true,” he says, voice losing the furious tone. “But there has to be another way. You’ve sacrificed yourself enough for this case.”

Kakashi finds himself softening, suddenly feeling bad at the harsh words he spouted at the older man earlier. After all, the man is still his superior, his boss, and he had been a great help to Kakashi during the six months before Obito came back to his life, helping him with training and just encouraging him emotionally in general.

“I’m sorry for getting angry,” he starts with his volume lowered. “I know you’re worried for me, and I’m very grateful for that,” he says earnestly. “But with all due respect, you don’t know us as much as you think you do.” Minato frowns at his words, and Kakashi immediately adds, “It—it might seem to you that I’m only doing this for the mission, but—“ he bites on his lower lip, “but I want this too.”

“What?”

Kakashi averts his gaze, feeling ashamed of himself, but decides to tell the older man the truth. “I want this relationship with Obito. Whatever we do in our relationship, it’s what we both want. He’s not forcing me into anything.”

“Kakashi—“

“I know what you’re going to say.” Kakashi holds his hand up, cutting the other off. “I’m fucked up, I know. But I’m happy. It probably makes no sense to you, but Obito... he makes me happy.”

“Kakashi, you’re confused.” Minato gives him an exasperated look. “Did you forget who Obito is? He’s a criminal who’s responsible for probably over a thousand of crimes! And he—he doesn’t love you. He doesn’t even know what that is!”

Kakashi immediately recalls Itachi’s words from Kamui that day.

_“I knew the type of person Obito is—he doesn’t do attachments. He doesn’t do love. I’m not sure he even knows what that is.”_

But then the man added, _until you_.

Kakashi lets out a thin exhale. “This is why I said you don’t know us as much as you think you do,” he says calmly, but Minato’s eyes visibly widens. “He loves me, as much as someone like him is capable of loving another person. And I—I’m doing this for the mission, but it’s not the only reason, so you don’t have to feel bad for me.”

“Kakashi, are you even hearing yourself? Obito—“

“I know who he is and what he does, and I still want him to pay for his crimes!” Kakashi raises his voice, but the miserable look on his face seems to deter Minato from yelling back at him. “I still want to take him down—I’m still going to do my best to stop him from doing more crimes. But before that, can you—can you let me have this? I don’t know how this will end,” he shallows back the thickness in his throat. “but I want to be with him, before this has to come to an end.” _And I don’t know how I’ll cope with it when the time comes._

Minato stares at him for a lengthy while, expression undecipherable. It’s probably a mixture of disappointment and pity, and Kakashi knows he deserves it. He must look pathetic to the older man, but he doesn’t know how else to describe this. Obito is not good for him, that’s something both he and Obito are aware of, but no one else has ever made him feel so _at home_.

Obito had been the cause of the years of loneliness and misery Kakashi had had to go through after the incident, but the man was also the one who brought him back to life. Maybe what Minato keeps saying is true—Obito has ruined him. He finds comfort in Obito’s presence. He can’t help but indulge in the attention and affection the man gives him no matter how fucked up it seems to people looking in from the outside.

Minato’s heavy sigh snaps him out of his thoughts. The older man looks so torn, but eventually gives Kakashi a faint nod. “Be safe, okay? If anything happens, call me.” His frowns still persists, though his tone noticeably softens.

☩

“What are you doing,” a voice resounds, not a question.

Obito glances to the side to see Itachi calmly walking in.

“Really, Obito,” the other man says, leaning casually on the wall with his arms crossed, gazing at him with blank eyes.

“What do you want,” Obito spits out.

“What I want is to know how you became like this,” Itachi emphasizes with a jut of his chin, gesturing to the empty room around them.

“What ‘this’.”

“Don’t play dumb, Obito. We both know what I’m talking about.”

“You really should learn to fix your mouth when speaking to your boss, Itachi,” Obito murmurs, narrowing his eyes at the other.

“Not until you fix yourself and come back.”

“What.”

“Stop pretending!” Itachi snaps, straightening up and glaring at him. “You’ve changed! And don’t tell me you haven’t noticed!”

“I haven’t changed―”

“Yes you have!” the other cuts in, and Obito is too wrapped up in his words to feel offended that Itachi dared to interrupt him. “You let him go! Even when you didn’t want to!”

“Am I supposed to make him disobey his superior and be reprimanded by the laws?”

“Yes! You know why? Because you normally wouldn’t care!” Itachi shouts, throwing his hands up in annoyance. “You have always been selfish, always taking what you like without any regards to how others feel. It’s always only been you, you, and you in your world.”

Now it’s time for Obito to cross his arms as he leans on the desk―the desk that just moments before had Kakashi bent over, giving himself to Obito. “So?”

“So! The fact that you let Kakashi go like that means you’re letting him make a choice!”

“What choice.”

Itachi makes a loud noise of frustration. “The choice of whether or not he will come back to you,” he growls, eyes gazing challengingly up at him. “The choice of whether he will choose to be with you―or with Minato.”

Obito slides a finger casually over the surface of the desk, keeping a calm facade even as he can feel the first signs of the churning feeling in the pits of his guts. “And how is letting Kakashi choose in any way contradict my personality until now?”

“Because you want to make sure!” Itachi yells. “You want to make sure that although you want him, you want him to want you back, too! You want him to reject Minato, and comes crawling back to you. You want reciprocity. You want Kakashi to love you just as much as you love him!”

Obito keeps quiet.

“And normally, you wouldn’t give a fuck! If something interests you, you would just take it and use it before throwing it away! But now you want Kakashi to want you back, and that’s―you’ve changed. You’ve changed, Obito.”

When Obito looks at Itachi, he can see the disappointed look in his eyes.

“You’re not the ruthless, cold-blooded man I fell in love with. But I’m going to give you a warning before you ruin yourself. Pull yourself together, Obito, or Akatsuki will someday collapse by your own hands, just for a boy you love too much you’d let him destroy you and everything you’ve built from the ground up.”

It’s only after Itachi walks away, out of the room, that Obito lets out a hollow laugh. As hollow as he feels on the inside after hearing those words.

“Fuck,” Obito whispers to an empty room, because he knows―

He knows every word Itachi’s said, is true.

☩

“I am your one―your only―weakness.”

Obito feels his lips curve into a smile as he stares down at Kakashi.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“So what are you planning to do with that information, hmn?” His hand slides up Kakashi’s torso to graze at a nipple, making the other let out an unconscious whimper. “Tell me, ‘Kashi. What are you going to do?”

“I―” Kakashi stutters, distracted when Obito bends down to take the bud between his teeth, sucking on it. “I will―”

“Are you going to endanger yourself to scare me?” he asks, giving one last lick at the bud before pulling away, pleased at the way it became hard and jutting out from the stimulation. “Will you say something like, ‘I’m going to kill myself if you don’t do this’? Will you threaten yourself to me, ‘Kashi?”

The other man’s eyes widen, taken aback as Obito basically reads all his thoughts.

“You’re so cute, ‘Kashi,” Obito chuckles, stroking the younger’s cheek fondly as Kakashi stills in his hold. “Do you want to try it out?”

It seems Kakashi has managed to collect himself back, for his eyes narrow as he replies, “I’m going to try something out. I told you, I won’t stop until justice is rightfully served.”

“Justice is rightfully served, huh?” Obito echoes, tasting the sentence on his tongue. “And you will be… satisfied, once that justice is served? Even if that means we’ll break apart?”

Kakashi’s eyes falter. He doesn’t say anything, but the look on his face is telling enough.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” is Obito’s response as he leans down to kiss him, rocking his hips slightly to remind the other man that he is still inside him and distract him from the conversation.

Soon, all that comes out of Kakashi’s mouth are gasps and moans, and as Obito stares down, taking in the way the other yield and submit underneath him so beautifully―so breathtakingly―the only thought lingering in his mind is,

_Then this means I just have to find a way for you to believe your justice is served, without breaking us apart._

_Without you leaving me._

_I won’t ever let you go, Kakashi._

☩

The waves are crashing beautifully against the shore as Yahiko watches, taking in the fresh smell of salt and palm trees. He isn’t sure how long he’s been standing here, spacing out, but it’s how Nagato finds him, after.

“One last look at the view?” the red-haired man asks.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Nagato nods, gazing out at the ocean before them, too.

“It’s nice here, isn’t it?” Yahiko continues. “I mean, we have a warm, cozy condo right next to a beach. And there aren’t many people here. And we can swim and roast fish in the evening right on the sand and―”

“Yahiko.” Nagato turns to him. “You’re rambling.”

The other knows him well enough by now to recognize that he tends to ramble on whenever he is… nervous. Or anxious about something.

“I just…” He kicks his foot, scattering sand everywhere. “I wonder if this is really a good idea.”

“Weren’t you the one who brought up this idea?”

“I know, but―” He huffs, frowning at the open waves. “I mean, like this, at least we’re guaranteed to be. You know. Stable. Unchanging. Going back… Isn’t it risky? What if just staying here is better?”

“But are we truly safe here?” Nagato asks. “We’re in constant worry whether someone will invade us in the dark of night. There are guns hidden everywhere―in the drawers, under the bed, behind the desk, just―Everywhere within our reach so we can be ready at any time if anyone comes for us. You don’t want to live this way for the rest of our lives, right?”

“No, but…” Yahiko turns to Nagato, wilting when he whispers, “But I’m just scared. We finally got out of that hellhole, and now we’re―gonna go back.”

The other’s eyes soften as he reaches a hand out and interlaces their fingers. “We’ll be fine,” he murmurs. “Consider it our last mission, before we’re home free. You know I’ll protect you if anything happens.”

“I don’t want you to protect me, you jerk!” Yahiko yells, glaring at him. “That defeats the whole point of us doing this if you’re going to d―die trying to protect me…”

Nagato winces at his slip of words, watching the way Yahiko’s lips tremble in both anger and anxiety. “I know, I’m sorry. I meant―We’re strong. We can do this. Hey, believe in my skills. I wasn’t the top killer in the top crime organization in the country for nothing, you know?” He flashes Yahiko a grin, trying to cheer him up.

“Arrogant bastard,” Yahiko scolds, but finds his lips parting to grin back, too. “Hey, speaking of countries, Obito invited us to Ame for our first ‘official mission’ upon being back. That’s our homecountry.”

“Mnn…” the other hums nonchalantly.

“Are you excited to be back? Because I am,” he says giddily. “I’d like to see what it looks like.”

Nagato shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see how it’ll go.” When he looks at Yahiko in the eyes again, his face is serious, contemplating. “Maybe we can… stay there. In Ame.”

“You want us to remain in Ame?” Yahiko asks in surprise.

“I don’t know,” the other repeats. “I guess we’ll see.”

Yahiko stares at his lover, watching the thoughtful look on his face, and feels his stomach twisting.

It seems Nagato has some sort of plan in Ame, outside of Obito and Akatsuki’s. Outside of Kakashi and the police’s.

He just hopes everything will turn out okay in the end.

☩

“How does it look? Nice view, right?”

Kakashi looks out to the opened windows to see skyscrapers after skyscrapers, lined up beautifully on paved streets, people bustling below in colorful miniature dots.

“This is my personal favorite hotel whenever I come to Ame. Wait till you see the view at night,” Obito continues.

“Do you go out of the country often?” Kakashi asks.

“Sometimes. Usually for business. I didn’t plan to go this time but the organization I had a deal with was being difficult and demanded me to be here myself to broker the deal.”

Kakashi tilts his head. “Is this organization so important that you had to cater to them?”

“Mnn…” Obito hums. “I’m trying to expand into Ame, and they currently have a pretty good hold here.”

“You said the Salamander, right? I looked them up. Apparently they’re the biggest mafia organization in the city.”

“Yeah. They’re led by Hanzo. That’s who I’m dealing with.”

“I see,” Kakashi replies, going over the information in his head. So Obito wants to expand Akatsuki into Ame, and this other group can help him with that. And they’re trying to use this leverage to demand Obito to come to their land to talk, instead of the other way around.

There’s a knock on the door, and Kakashi opens the door after a nod from Obito.

“Hi Kakashi!” is Konan greeting him with a bright smile on the other side. “Tired from the jetlag?”

“Not as bad as I thought,” Kakashi answers.

“Well, that’s good!” Konan says chirpily, before poking her head to the side to bow at Obito behind him. “Boss. You might be tired too, but don’t forget the Salamander pushed the meeting to this afternoon for some ‘introductory talks’, so we need to leave at 4 or so.”

Obito nods, and Konan bows once again. Waving cheerily at Kakashi one last time, the woman turns to leave, trotting down the hallway with light steps.

Kakashi blinks. It’s been over a year and he still is unnerved by Konan’s disposition, sometimes too happy that she seems… maniacal.

 _Well, she is a maniac_ , Kakashi adds internally. After he closes the door and looks back, Obito is fiddling with his cufflinks, taking them off.

“You want to take the bath first?”

“Hmn…” Kakashi hums noncommittally. “Hey, Obito, did you only bring Konan here? Shouldn’t you get more protection?”

“I also invited Nagato and Yahiko to come. We’ll meet up with them at the rendezvous,” Obito answers casually.

“What!” Kakashi yells. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Obito says, smiling indulgently as he lifts a hand up to tuck a stray strand of Kakashi’s hair behind his ear. “Think of it as my present to you. You must’ve missed Yahiko, right?”

“I did…” Kakashi breathes, lost in the depths of Obito’s eyes as the latter’s fingers move down to caress his cheek gently. “You did this for me?”

“I would do a lot of things for you,” is the other’s simple reply as he leans forward to peck Kakashi on the lips.

Kakashi is feeling that familiar fluttering feeling in his chest again whenever Obito did something sweet for him, and he should hate himself for feeling this way, but, well―

He’s long gone past the point of trying to lie to himself about how Obito makes him feel―

―loved―

―no matter how fucked up that love is.

“So I thought, my top two killers in Akatsuki here? That should be enough protection, right? There are also you and Yahiko.”

Kakashi nods, perking up at his last sentence. “Since you included me… does this mean I can go to your little… introductory meeting?”

Obito’s lips quirk into a more amused smile. “A cop going right in the middle of a meeting between two mafia groups? Is that… appropriate?”

“There is nothing appropriate about us,” Kakashi tells him.

“True, but… There’ll be some incriminating talks going on in the meeting… It’d be awfully foolish of me to let you go and hear them, right?”

At this, Kakashi’s mouth spreads into a mischievous grin as he links his arms around the other’s neck and leans closer. “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who would dare to call you of all people ‘foolish’, Obito.”

When Obito chuckles, Kakashi can feel the deep, rumbling sound vibrating from Obito’s chest to his own as their bodies brush against each other’s.

“I suppose,” the other relents, lips trailing down his neck in feathery touches, making him shiver. “It still wouldn’t be a good idea, though. I have nothing to gain by bringing you there.”

Kakashi exhales shakily, eyes fluttering shut when Obito starts to nip at a particularly sensitive spot behind his ear. “It will make me happy.”

Obito chuckles as he pulls back.

Kakashi grins at him. “Is that a yes?”

“Mmn,” Obito says, and when their lips connect once again, Kakashi feels like there isn’t anything more right in this world.

There isn’t anything more wrong, either.

☩

“Yahiko!” Kakashi shouts happily, dashing forward and barreling right onto the other man for a hug.

He can hear the deep giggles from Yahiko as the older man hugs him back. “Kakashi! Wow, look at you! Did you get more handsome since last I saw you?”

Kakashi beams at him. “Do you regret not making a move on me now?”

The other sticks his tongue out at him. “You wish!”

Kakashi is too busy laughing with Yahiko that he almost doesn’t notice when Nagato passes by him to stand in front of Obito.

“Boss,” the red-haired man says, bowing down.

“Hello, Nagato. Yahiko,” he spares a brief nod at Yahiko before turning back to Nagato. “I’m glad to see you still call me boss.”

“…Akatsuki was where I started,” Nagato tells him. “I wouldn’t be here today had Uchiha Madara not picked me up, had you not chosen me to stand by your side instead of against you back then. I want to apologize for my sudden disappearance, but―”

“Say no more,” Obito holds out a palm at him. “I understand. Kakashi filled me in on the details. Honestly, it wasn’t surprising, although I did think it was an incredible shame that someone of your caliber was being wasted, but… You’re back, and that’s all that matters, right?”

Nagato hesitates, but nods.

“Boss…” Yahiko begins uncertainly, and Obito turns to him.

“No need to go around in circles,” Obito stops him. “You’re like Kakashi, I understand. And you’re like family to him. You’ve been treating Kakashi well, so let’s let bygones be bygones, hmn?”

Yahiko seems surprised at the dismissal, but also nods. Obito turns to walk towards the warehouse, where they’re supposed to meet, with Nagato following and the two left trailing behind.

“That was… a shocker…” Yahiko whispers to Kakashi as they walk. “You really have Obito wrapped in the palm of your hands, huh?”

Kakashi simply smiles triumphantly in return.

☩

Konan is already standing by the entrance when they arrive. She and Nagato exchanged greetings, but she and Yahiko distinctly ignored each other, and Kakashi realizes that the last time they saw each other, it was not… under the best of circumstances, since Yahiko had almost killed Konan had Kakashi not stopped him.

Kakashi doesn’t have time to muse on this, though, for the Salamander’s lackeys are already pushing the doors open for Obito to step in, with the rest of Akatsuki behind.

“Hello, hello! Welcome!” a man with an energetic appearance shouts, spreading his arms up in a cheery gesture.

“Welcome, Obito,” another man says, sitting on a couch behind the spread table. By the arrogant way he is slouching while other men flank him, Kakashi guesses this is the leader.

Which makes him Hanzo, then, Kakashi deducts internally.

“Hello, Hanzo,” Obito says, sitting down on the opposite couch, while the rest stands behind him.

“How was your trip?” a man with a mischievous smile asks. “We had wanted to book you a closer hotel for your accommodations, but that woman turned us down, saying you had already chosen a location beforehand.”

Obito glances at Konan, which prompts the latter to respond, “Thank you for the thought, but my boss had a preferred location in mind. Familiarity, you know.”

“Mnn, true. After all, you’re on an unknown land, right?”

“Not quite. Nagato and Konan here are from Ame, right?” another man speaks. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring Kisame. Isn’t he your bodyguard?”

“Kisame is busy holding the fort down for me,” Obito says. “Along with my many other very competent members.”

“Hey, hey,” the first man who spoke chimes in, and Kakashi squirms when he feels the gaze directed towards him. “Speaking of your Akatsuki members… Who’s that? Don’t think I’ve seen that face before…”

“You’re so behind on the news, Kie!” someone chides him, looking exasperated. “That’s Hatake Kakashi, newest member of the Elite!”

“A new member…?” the man―Kie?―repeats, licking his lips slowly as he just stares at Kakashi, and Kakashi is starting to feel squeamish at the almost enraptured look directed at him.

“Or is it ‘was’?” a bald man with large ears says with a small smirk on his face. Kakashi wracks his brain to identify him, and matches him to Daibutsu. “We heard there was a… commotion, a few months back.”

“What he is, is of no concern to us today. We’re here to discuss our trading agreement,” Obito tells him.

“I beg to differ,” someone else with tattoos on his face chirps. “After all, I heard Hatake Kakashi here is a cop, isn’t that right?”

“Really, Kyusuke? He’s a cop?” Kie asks, and Kakashi gapes at the almost gleeful expression on his face. “Oh man, that’s neat!”

“You brought a cop to our meeting, Obito?” Hanzo raises an eyebrow.

“He’s with me, don’t worry,” the other replies. “I hope you trust in my words rather than what the rumors say, no?”

Kyusuke lets out a whistle, and the other members of the Salamander draw back at the challenging look on Obito’s face―very intimidating and authoritarian, and Kakashi notes this is the face of Uchiha Obito, mafia boss of Akatsuki.

“Alright, let’s put that aside for now, and cut to the chase,” Hanzo says. “You want five trucks full of weapons from us, right here in Ame, so you wouldn’t have to smuggle them past the border securities of both countries, right?”

“Yes. We already have a proper building set up in the city that you can transport them to,” Obito replies.

“The security in the city is getting more and more strict, ever since some no-good gangs started fights with each other and made trouble to the cops. It’s going to look very suspicious, transporting so many weapons.”

“Oh?” Obito crooks an eyebrow. “So what do you propose?”

At this, Hanzo throws his head back, jutting his chin at Obito arrogantly. “Five billion grand. And a shipment of that latest drug of yours―what is it called, Phoenix Ash? I’ve always wanted to try it myself.”

“Sounds like a hefty price for just five trucks of weapons,” Obito drawls.

“Five trucks of weapons in Ame. Not your territory.”

Obito tilts his head casually. “Oh, I assure you. It’ll become my territory soon enough.”

Hanzo flares instantly. “Is that supposed to be a threat, Uchiha Obito?”

“I don’t know, is it? You do know who you’re dealing with, right?”

“Akatsuki might be big in your country, but it ain’t shit here!” someone spits―the one who has been standing next to Kie and had chided him.

“How dare you―” Konan snaps, affronted and hand on the trigger, but Obito simply holds out a hand to still her.

Kakashi looks worriedly as he sees the Salamader’s members already have their guns out at the brief, but intense, exchange. A quick glance around tells him the main members are around the couch next to Hanzo, while there are nearly a hundred men situated all across the wide, open room.

Akatsuki has five people. They’re clearly outnumbered.

“I want to tell you this is a very, very bad idea―” Obito says slowly.

Hanzo puffs his chest. “Scared now?”

“―for you,” he finishes. “Are you sure you want to do this? Quantity doesn’t always mean quality, you know?”

Hanzo snarls at the implied insult. “What I do know is Akatsuki has been too cocky for too long! And now you want to encroach on our territory, too? You’d think we’d let you walk all over our land and hand it to you for the taking?”

“Ah, I expected from the start that you didn’t have any intentions of dealing with us by your various stallings. But, well. I had wanted a vacation trip to Ame, and cleaning the weed myself would be… satisfying, I suppose,” Obito replies nonchalantly, brushing invisible dust off his shoulder.

This just enrages Hanzo even more. “How dare you called us weed― Men, get them!”

Kakashi barely has time to blink before there’s a hand pulling his arm down, letting his face barely dodge an incoming bullet. Kakashi looks wildly to Obito as the latter simply smiles calmly at him as his other hand, the one not holding onto Kakashi’s, is wrapped around a gun, shooting it straight at one of the Salamander’s members.

“Obito, what the fuck!” Kakashi yells amidst all the bullets flying. In the corners of his eyes, he can see Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan all firing at the other group, and it seems they’re all holding their own, as expected from the Elite’s best, but still―

“Obito, I didn’t bring my fucking gun!” Kakashi shrieks at him when Obito pulls them both down to crouch behind the couch. “Why didn’t you tell me if you knew this was going to happen?!”

“Because you didn’t need to know,” Obito has the nerve to spare a grin at him as his finger pulls on the trigger, ricocheting another bullet into the flesh of someone without even looking at his target, and Kakashi is suddenly having a horrid flashback to that day so long ago when the other had shot his father multiple times precisely through his body without needing to ever look where he was aiming.

Nagato, Konan and Kisame might be Akatsuki’s strongest members, but Kakashi vaguely wonders how good Obito actually is, seeing as how he’s the boss and rarely ever needs to dirty his hands himself.

Just when he’s thought of that, he feels a tug of his arm, snapping him back to reality.

“Hey,” Obito calls. “Let’s get out of here.”

“What!” Kakashi gapes.

“Nagato and Konan―and, well, I guess Yahiko’s staying too, since Nagato is―are more than capable of taking care of these insignificants themselves. Let’s get out and go tour around the city. I want to show you some places I think you’ll like.”

Kakashi feels warm at the suggestion, but― “I don’t think now is the time for this? We’re clearly outnumbered!”

Obito tilts his head uncomprehendingly at him. “Do you not trust in Nagato and Konan’s powers? They’re not the best of the best for nothing, you know.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve handled a room twice this size solo before on missions all the time,” Nagato tells him carelessly as he fires bullets after bullets, looking bored as hell. “Right, Yahiko?”

“Well, yes, but―” Yahiko pauses as he shoots at someone trying to sneak up on them. “I can’t believe we’re put to work as soon as we get back!” he whines.

“I did tell you this would be your first mission upon getting back,” Obito reminds him lightly, then turns to Kakashi. “See? They’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

Kakashi looks worriedly on at the scene, but it seems like the other three are handling everything just fine. With a reluctant nod, he follows Obito as they run out of the building, Obito shielding him the whole time.

☩

“Next time, you tell me when shit like this is going to happen!” Kakashi yells, pointing a threatening finger at Obito.

They’re a few streets away from the warehouse, in a deserted parking lot. Aside from their clothes being rumpled, they’re absolutely scratch-free.

The other has the nerve to laugh. “The surprise is what makes it fun. Wasn’t it thrilling?”

“No!” Kakashi snaps. “…Wait… Is this why you agreed to let me come? Because you know it wouldn’t amount to anything, anyways?”

Obito simply smiles fondly at him. “I don’t know, is it?” He pats Kakashi’s hair down from the flying mess it was before. “You’re so cute when you’re angry, too.”

“Obito,” Kakashi growls.

“So where do you want to go first? Are you hungry? There’s this great restaurant―” the other pauses suddenly and turns around, and Kakashi looks behind Obito to see someone running towards them.

“Konan? What are you doing here?”

“Did you take care of them already? That was quick,” Obito comments.

“Mnn.” Konan stops in front of them with a bright smile on her face. “Actually, I was worried about you two.”

“You didn’t have to. I was more worried about you guys, to be honest.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet, Kakashi!” Konan coos at him. “But that’s not what I meant at all.”

Before Kakashi can open his mouth to ask her to elaborate, there’s an ear-piercing sound as Konan lifts her hand up to shoot at them and Obito whips his gun out at the same time, the two bullets so precise in aiming they hit each other and cancelled everything out.

Kakashi blinks in shock. “W―What―”

“I meant, I was worried with you wandering around so defenseless like this, someone would have a chance to take you out before I did.”

Obito’s face is an undecipherable, blank slate as he gazes at Konan. “You want to defect from Akatsuki, Konan?”

“Not quite~” the other singsongs. “I just want to kill you, but if that goes hand-in-hand with defecting from Akatsuki, then yeah, I guess!”

“What―”

Kakashi is cut off when Obito responds, his tone a calm and chilling sound, “I think you’re making a mistake same as those Salamander guys. You might be good with a gun, but you know I can handle myself around you. You have a gun, I have a gun. Do you want a stand-off? Shall we see who can last longer?”

“You’re right, you’re actually scarily good with a gun, even though you rarely have to put your skills to use,” Konan agrees. “But I know, because I saw it when you first saved me, all those years ago, remember?”

There is something nostalgic and almost sad inside the woman amber-colored orbs, but it’s gone as soon as Kakashi blinks when Konan continues, “But… I think you forgot this is not the only thing I’m good at.”

As soon as the last word leaves her mouth, Konan fires another shot, and Obito is able to counter her with his bullet easily, but―

―but Kakashi notices it when Konan’s left hand, the one that hasn’t been in use, whips out from behind her back, holding a―

―dagger―

 _I’m not the best knife-wielder in_ _Akatsuki_ _for nothing,_ Konan had told him once, and the words are suddenly ringing in his ears as he watches, almost in slow-motion―

―as Konan throws the dagger aimed straight at Obito as the latter is still distracted from deflecting the bullets Konan is shooting with his right hand, and―

―it flies straight at Obito’s chest, imbedding itself right where his heart should be.

Kakashi lets out a soundless scream as he watches blood spurt instantly from Obito’s mouth as the latter staggers back―

“This is the end, Uchiha Obito,” Konan murmurs, pointing the gun at a shocked Obito whose shirt is absolutely drenched in blood, the dagger still lodged inside―

“Good bye,” Konan says.

BANG.


	13. Chapter 13

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Yahiko glances to the side and is about to scream at Nagato at what the hell he’s doing suddenly putting a hand up in the air instead of shooting, but then he notices that everyone else has stopped shooting as well.

When Nagato looks at Yahiko’s confused eyes, he crooks a smile. “Told you I’d keep you safe.”

“Nagato, what…”

“Nagato made a deal with us. We’re not your enemies,” Kyusuke says, flopping down onto the couch and blowing the smoke off his gun.

“What―”

“Although you did let them go.” Hanzo gives him a displeased stare. “I thought the deal was to have you go after them.”

“Like I’m gonna leave Yahiko here so you can take him as a hostage against me?” Nagato makes a knowing face, pulling a stumbling Yahiko beside him. “And Konan’s after them, don’t worry. She’s―almost―as good as me.”

“Konan?” Yahiko exclaims. “Konan’s in on this, too?”

“She’s been wanting to take Obito down for awhile now,” Nagato tells him. “And hey, us select few Elites stick together, right? I would recruit Kisame, too, but you know how loyal he is to Obito.”

“I thought Konan was loyal to Obito―”

“Well, I guess things happened.” Nagato gives a shrug. “You know what they say―hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or in this case, an obsessive, deranged lunatic who realized she meant nothing to a man she had devoted her entire life to.”

“So you mean Konan wants to kill Obito because he doesn’t love her? Because Obito loves―” At this, Yahiko lets out a gasp, pulling his hand away. “Shit, Kakashi! I gotta go warn him―”

“Hold on, you’re not going anywhere,” Nagato says, catching him and spinning him around.

“Nagato, I don’t care about your double-crossing business, but I don’t want Kakashi to get hurt! He’s innocent in all this―”

“You don’t have to worry,” Nagato tells him placidly, but sincerely, and that calms Yahiko a little. “Konan won’t hurt Kakashi.”

“How would you know that? Because as far as I know, Konan’s always been super… off, about Kakashi, for being Obito’s favorite!”

“Because I’m guessing Obito himself isn’t the only reason Konan wants to take him down,” Nagato starts. “I think a big, maybe even bigger, reason for Konan wanting Obito dead is for Kakashi, too.”

“What…?”

“Weren’t you there with them at Kamui? You told me what happened. Did you forget how Konan came to be so obsessive over Obito? Because Obito was the one who saved her when Konan had nowhere to go―when she no longer had any reason to live for―”

“―So you mean when Kakashi saved Konan from my bullet, he gave her a new reason to live for? When she had thought her life had been wasted on Obito?” Yahiko breathes, everything clicking into place.

The other shrugs again. “Seems so.”

“Damn, it seems the personal interrelations between the Akatsuki members are as fucked up as us, huh, Kyusuke?” Kie snickers, nudging his friend by the elbow.

Yahiko whips around to glare at them, but Kie pays him no mind, instead has a thoughtful look on his face like he’s scheming something.

Yahiko sighs, turning back to give his lover a withering stare.

He just hopes Nagato is right and that Kakashi will be safe.

☩

When Kakashi flings himself in front of Obito to shield him and hears the resulting BANG! afterward, he squeezes his eyes shut and expects pain―

―that never came.

He opens his eyes blearily to see a pole near them, cracked like a bullet has been shot in.

“Did you expect… after seeing it firsthand before,” Konan begins, giving Kakashi a pointed look, “that I wouldn’t know you’d try to pull the same thing and take a bullet for someone, again? Lightning-fast reflexes and the ability to change a bullet’s course at the very last second are two of the core abilities of being an assassin, you know.”

“Ko… nan…” He barely has time to say more when there’s a grunt behind him, and Kakashi spins around to catch Obito by the shoulders as the latter staggers forward. “Shit, Obito…” Kakashi inspects worriedly at the other. His whole shirt is soaked in crimson, blood still dripping eerily down even onto his belt and pants since the fucking dagger is still imbedded in his chest―

“Step away, Kakashi,” Konan says.

“No, goddammit―”

“Why are you protecting him? Hasn’t this been your goal?” Konan continues, voice raising by the second. “Now’s your chance―just one more shot to the head and Obito will be dead for good―”

“This isn’t my goal―I never want to kill Obito!” Kakashi shouts at her, mind split between dealing with Konan and on how to take out the fucking dagger― “I never―I just want him before justice. I want him under the law. Gets judged properly. Not―Not this―”

“Even if he was put properly into jail, it still wouldn’t be enough!” Konan counters. “He’d still be alive. He’d still be able to do things. He would never let you go―”

“What―”

Obito, astonishingly, is able to chuckle, although they are nothing more than puffs of air. His lower lip has a dry bloodtrack leading down his chin from coughing out blood earlier. “So this has been your goal all along, has it?” he says breathily. “When you came back, it wasn’t because you were still loyal to me. It was because you wanted to save Kakashi from me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes!” Konan screams, voice scratchy like she’s lost it. “Because I realized you didn’t deserve him! I’ve been deluded and thinking if I tried hard enough, I might have a chance with you, no matter how small, and when I realized how stupid I had been, when I had given up on everything―when I was willing to let Yahiko kill me―I realized there was still one thing to live for…”

Kakashi’s eyes widen when he sees the look Konan is giving him, brimming with unshed tears, agonized and sorrowful and something like―

―like affections―

“Kakashi is the only good thing in this bleak, corrupted world,” Konan whispers, taking a sharp breath to calm herself. “I would’ve been content with just―watching over him. Like I had been for you. But he―he was saddled with you―You kept ruining him, over and over, and I know how obsessive you are. I know you won’t ever let him go, not until you’re dead―”

When Konan raises an arm up, hand at the trigger, Kakashi immediately slides in front of Obito, spreading his arm out as a sort of shield. “Konan, no.”

“Why not?” Konan yells, her voice cracking. “I’m doing this for you! With Obito dead, you will finally be free, Kakashi―!”

“Kakashi won’t ever forget about me even if I’m dead,” Obito retorts, and Kakashi hisses, “Obito, shut up!” at him, not wanting to provoke Konan any further.

Distantly, though, he is aware that Obito is right. The other man has carved himself so deep inside his heart, his soul, that Kakashi won’t ever be freed from him, even after death.

“―I just want you to be freed from his shackles!” Konan is still ranting. “I want you to go back to live a normal life again. You’ve been through so much―You deserve so much better than Obito―”

“I appreciate your… concern for me, Konan,” Kakashi starts. “But―But this is not what I want. I don’t want Obito dead.”

“Why not?” Konan repeats. “Because―Because you love him…?”

Kakashi bites his lip, but nods.

“That’s because he is manipulating you! Just like how he manipulated me! Once he’s dead, you will finally see… see that there is so much more to live for! I told you, this world is not for you!”

“It doesn’t matter, Konan. I don’t want Obito dead.”

Konan sucks in a breath, face determined. “Clearly you’ve been as confused, as brainwashed, as I was back then, having been trained and molded by Obito. You’ll wake up, once Obito is gone. I’m sure of it.”

When Konan takes slow, but threatening, steps towards them, Kakashi only spreads himself in front of Obito more.

“You can’t kill Obito, Konan,” Kakashi says, voice calm even as his mind is in utter disarray when Konan is right in front of them, a gun in hand and a new dagger in the other.

“And why can’t I? You know I can knock you out and kill him, right? I’m really not the second best killer in Akatsuki for nothing.”

“Because…” Kakashi answers slowly, a palm reaching back to grip onto Obito’s own, gripping tight. “Because if you kill him, I’ll kill myself. Doesn’t matter if you knock me out. If I wake up and Obito is dead, I will die, too.”

Konan gasps, disbelieving. “You wouldn’t!”

“Do you want to try me?” Kakashi says, face grim as he stares challengingly at the woman standing before them. “If I could take a bullet for you when I barely knew you, you think I wouldn’t have the guts to kill myself if I find out Obito is dead? You’re right, Obito did ruin me, and maybe I’ve been brainwashed… But I don’t care. All I know is if you kill Obito, I will kill myself, too. And that would defeat the whole point of your plan, wouldn’t it?”

“Dammit, Kakashi!” Konan yells brokenly because she can see the conviction in Kakashi’s eyes. She knows Kakashi isn’t joking around. “Why would you go so far? For a guy like him? Someone who destroyed your entire life and is still ruining you!”

“Because,” Kakashi whispers, tears stinging his eyes as he clutches harder onto Obito’s hand. The grip is slippery due to the blood, and that just makes Kakashi more anxious. “Because despite everything he’s done to me, I still love him, and I don’t want him dead.”

Konan only makes a pained face at him, staggering back like her legs are about to give out.

“Please, Konan, let us go. Please. If you really do feel an ounce of care for me at all―if you’re really doing this for me… then let us go. Please.”

The other lets out a shaky exhale, shaking her head as she angrily wipes the flooding tears away with the back of her hand. “Just this once,” she finally says. “This time, I will let you go. But the next time I see you, I will kill Obito. And I will take you far, far away. Away from all this bloodshed and cruelties. No matter if you want to or not. I can bet on that. This is your one last warning.”

“Thank you…” Kakashi whispers as Konan spares one last anguished look at him before walking away. He watches until the woman’s figure disappears, making sure she has kept her words.

“Seems like… You did use your own self to threaten… not with me, but with Konan instead…” Obito’s raspy voice jolts him, and Kakashi hastily turns around and barely manages to catch Obito as the latter collapses onto his knees, wheezing.

“Obito… Shit, shit…” Kakashi curses, panicking. The blood won’t stop flowing out, and he really needs to take the dagger out of Obito’s chest, but… is that safe? What if it hit something important and pulling it out will only endanger the organs inside him? What if more blood gushes out at the gaping wound once the blade is removed? There isn’t even any fabric to stop the bleeding and bandage, and they simply don’t have enough time to find something, Obito has lost so much blood already―

“Just do it…” Obito murmurs, voice barely able to be heard due to how little strength he has left. His face, if not smudged with crimson, is drenched in sweat. The blood is still dripping from the dagger down onto Kakashi’s hands and the ground below and Kakashi doesn’t know what to do―

“Do it,” Obito repeats. “Don’t delay the inevitable. If I die, then I die. There is nothing you can do to stop it.”

“You aren’t supposed to die, you bastard!” Kakashi cries, meaning for his voice to come out furious but only sounding like a plea instead. “You’re not supposed to―There is so much more I planned to do―You can’t die here―”

“Remember what I told you before? I’m only human, Kakashi. You might think I’m invincible, but I’m not…”

“Obito, no…”

“Do it, pull it out…” Obito lifts their linked hand shakily up to the dagger and wraps Kakashi’s fingers around the handle. “If I die by this, then at least I want you to be the person who did this to me… At least… I get to see your face one last time before I die…”

“No. No no no nononononono―”

Kakashi isn’t expecting when Obito’s lips crash upon his, and he can taste the blood seeping from the other’s onto his tongue―so familiar―

And then, Obito grips both of his hands around Kakashi’s fist, the one still clenched around the dagger, and, with the last of his strength, jerks both their hands away―

―pulling the dagger out of his chest in one lurch―

The blood spurting out from the action is instantaneous, splattering not only onto Kakashi’s arm and shirt and pants, but also on his neck and face―

Obito’s blood is still sliding down Kakashi’s cheek hauntingly as Kakashi watches, almost in slow motion, as Obito falls backwards, farther and farther away from him―

“Obito! Obito!!” Kakashi screams, scrambling to Obito’s collapsed figure on the hard cement. Desperately, he tries to shake the limp body, but no response―

“No, Obito, no, you can’t die on me, no, please, you can’t―” Kakashi calls out, sobs wrecking through him and his vision is blurring due to all the tears, but to no avail.

Obito’s body is cold.

☩

“…Hello?”

“Oh! Thank god I got through to you, Kakashi, I was so worried―”

“…Yahiko…” Kakashi mutters, sliding down the wall and curling up into himself, pressing the phone between his cheek and shoulder.

“Kakashi, are you okay? Where are you at? I heard―”

“―That Konan double-crossed Akatsuki? Yeah.”

“It’s not―It’s not just Konan…” Kakashi can hear the clear hesitance even through the phone. “It was… Konan and Nagato planned this together. Conspired with the Salamander. I didn’t know about this until after you guys left, I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. I mean―I guess I’m shocked, but…” Kakashi sighs, closing his eyes. “Every man for himself, right? Nagato was just thinking in his best interest―and yours, probably. Just as Konan did this for her own reason, too. And… And…”

“…Kakashi, are you okay? You still haven’t answered me how you’ve been…”

“I―” A pause. “I’m okay. I’m fine. No scratches. No wounds.”

“…And Obito? He was together with you, right?”

“He…” Kakashi glances to the side worriedly. “Konan stabbed him in the chest. I managed to bandage his wound after taking the dagger out and moved us to an abandoned warehouse nearby, but… He’s not―He’s not waking up. And he’s burning up. I think he’s got a fever. Or an infection. Or―I don’t know―”

“Kakashi…”

“I don’t know what to do,” Kakashi chokes out. “He needs professional medical help, stat, but it’s not like I can just waltz into the hospital with him bleeding all over without questions. And the Salamander no doubt is scouting about waiting for a chance to jump us―”

“Yeah… I heard them discussing they’re on the lockdown around your hotel and various places waiting to ambush you… They really want to take Akatsuki down, and what better way than to snub the boss right in their territory?”

“I figured… That’s why I didn’t go back to our hotel room…”

There’s a long moment of silence from the other, as if the older man is considering his words, wondering if he should say this to Kakashi, but in the end, he gives. “Kakashi, listen. I don’t know if your phone can make oversea calls, but I can, you know? If you want, I can call Minato for you. Have him book you a flight ASAP. You’re not injured, so I’m sure you can sneak to the airport and board. They’re not looking for you―heck, only those who were present at the meeting even know what you look like, so I’m sure you can move around undetected.”

Kakashi exhales slowly.

“You’ll be safe once you land in our country. Continue your job, or take a break, or―whatever. Be a free man, you know?”

“Yahiko,” Kakashi calls out.

There’s a sharp intake of breath from the other before he curses. “Fuck, you’re not gonna do it, are you?”

Kakashi laughs wryly. “Would you do it if you were in my situation?”

“That’s not fair, Kakashi!” Yahiko shouts.

“Nothing about this is fair!” he retorts, clutching at his phone. “I didn’t ask for―for these fucked up feelings, but I―” He takes a shuddering breath, lips trembling. “I can’t leave him. I can’t leave Obito to die here. I can’t abandon him. I can’t―”

“Kakashi…”

Kakashi inhales, trying to calm down. “I understand you want what’s best for me, but I―I can’t leave him. Thanks anyways, Yahiko. You’re like the big brother I’ve never had, you know that, right?”

There’s a resigned sigh from the other line when Yahiko knows Kakashi’s made up his mind. Finally, he chuckles. “I know, kid. You know I feel the same for you, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Kakashi says, managing a small smile.

“Just… Be careful, alright? If you need any help, call me. I don’t care if Nagato won’t like this. I’m not gonna let the Salamander hurt you.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I want to strain your relationship with Nagato. I’ll be okay, don’t worry. I have Obito’s gun with me.” _A more pressing matter is Obito’s well-being…_ he adds gloomily to himself.

“Alright… Good luck, Kakashi.”

“Thanks. All the best to you as well, Yahiko.”

Kakashi barely ends the call when there’s a breathy voice resounding, “Should’ve listened to him…”

“Obito!” Kakashi gasps, scrambling to the other and slowly lifting his head up to rest onto his lap. “Oh my god, you’re awake! Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

Obito lets out a small laugh, but it just pains for Kakashi to see when he can see the sweat pooling down Obito’s temple. His face is pale, and his lips are almost colorless.

Obito’s condition is clearly not good. He’s lost a lot of blood and should be hooked up to an IV drip and have a blood transfusion, not―not this.

Not lying down on the dirty ground in an abandoned warehouse with shoddy bandaging and no painkillers nor any medications to take.

“Stop scrunching up your eyebrows. It ruins your pretty face.”

“Now is not the time for this, Obito!” Kakashi snaps, disapproving, but finds he can’t be too mad at the other when he can see the small smirk on his face.

It’s a familiar sight, and it eases Kakashi somewhat.

“Help me up,” Obito tells him. Kakashi helps pull him up so that he can rest his back against the wall, with Kakashi hovering on the side in concern.

“Really, though, you should’ve done what Yahiko suggested,” Obito says casually, staring straight ahead and not looking at him.

“…You were listening?”

Obito shrugs, though seems to regret the action instantly when it jostles the wound in the process. “Enough to hear how you made an unwise decision.”

Kakashi stares at Obito’s side profile, still so unbearably handsome despite how sickly he currently looks, and asks, in a small voice, “Would you want me to?”

When Obito turns to face Kakashi, his face is blank, undecipherable. “Does it matter what I want? It was the best decision for you to take.”

Kakashi laughs mirthlessly. “If I had cared about the best decisions for me at all, I wouldn’t have come back to you after you had set me free almost a year ago, Obito.”

Obito only shakes his head. “Foolish boy.”

“I guess I am.” Kakashi drops his gaze. “I mean, this is all going according to your plan, right? If you had wanted to test whether I’d leave you in a dire situation, then you got your answer.”

“I already knew the answer, anyways. You’re not the type to abandon someone injured to escape, no matter who it is. You didn’t ditch Yahiko back when you guys got captured by Kiri no Nanaken. You even took a bullet for Konan.” A dry laugh. “And now she wants to kill me for your sake.”

Kakashi keeps his eyes on the ground, troubled. He hadn’t expected the Konan thing, either. He had always known the other was planning something, and that she would act eventually, but… He didn’t expect it to be for him, because Konan has―has feelings for him now, or something.

“I just… I didn’t want anyone to die,” he whispers.

“Bleeding heart,” Obito scoffs.

Kakashi frowns. “If I weren’t the way I am, I don’t think you would’ve taken a second look at me, Obito.”

“Touché,” Obito says. There’s a hand cupping Kakashi’s cheek, lifting his head up, and when he finally looks at the other, there’s a small, but genuine smile on Obito's face, his eyes filled with affections.

Not the usual smirk. Not the intimidating flash of his eyes whenever he gets angry, but just―

Obito. Smiling. Like he’s happy Kakashi is by his side right now. Because he loves him―

“Did I ever tell you, ‘Kashi,” his voice is low, quiet that Kakashi almost misses it, distracted by the gentle expression on Obito’s face, “how I got started?”

“Got started?”

“In this life.”

Kakashi blinks at him in surprise. “No…” Even the police’s records hadn’t said much about Obito’s past. Akatsuki was such a small gang back then, and by the time it got so prominent under Obito’s control, the man had already killed all of the old members aside from Nagato, Kisame, and Itachi.

And Minato, of course. But they generally avoided talking about Obito whenever they were together.

“My earliest memory involves sleeping in bunk beds all clustered together in a big room along with hundreds of other kids like me,” Obito begins, eyes distant as he stares out into the relative darkness of the warehouse. “A facility of some sort. Guards every corner. Before I learned how to speak properly, I already knew the best places to punch someone to knock them out.”

Kakashi watches, holding his breath, as Obito turns to him with a rueful smile.

“Have you heard of child soldiers, Kakashi? It’s pretty underground, black market stuff, but there are facilities that train these kids in combat since small, then sell them off to the highest bidders for whatever reasons. It’s easier to create the perfect, obedient fighter working for you when that’s all the kid’s known all his life, right? Like a robot. Doing whatever dirty work they are assigned to by whoever that bought them.”

“And you… you were one of them…?”

“Did you know I lived in Ame before?” Obito speaks up like he hasn’t heard Kakashi. “That’s where my facility was. My parents were from Konoha though. Sold me for a gambling debt, and then I got transported here. At least, that was what my profile said. I don’t remember what they looked like, at all.”

“Obito…” When the older man turns to look at him, he only gives a small laugh.

“The first time I held a gun was when I was four,” he continues, voice detached like he’s talking about the weather. “The first time I killed someone was five months after. It was during one of our training drills, an accident. It was my own instructor.”

Kakashi stares at Obito, taking in the information. Obito first killed someone when he was four years old, by accident, because someone had put a gun in his hand and trained him to be good at it.

“I didn’t even get punished for it. Do you know what they say? ‘If he was weak enough to be killed by a kid, then he wasn’t worth keeping, anyways.’ In fact, I got praised for it―for managing to kill one of their best gun-users when I was so small. I got put in the more advanced programs as a result. They said I had ‘potential’.” Another dry laugh. “I hadn’t even meant to kill him. When his blood had first splattered onto my face, I screamed.”

“Obito…” Kakashi takes Obito’s hand in his, squeezing it, and realizes how cold it is.

“Anyways, it only got more rigorous and gruesome after that. Here I was, a tiny, short four-year-old kid in programs with these six and seven years old. I was despised for my ‘special treatment’. Everyone was trying to outdo each other, to get any scraps of praises, because that was all we ever knew, you know? We were just kids, just wanting any sort of care and acknowledgement from these strangers that taught us the vital places to aim for in someone’s body.”

“At the end of every year, they gave us a ‘final assignment’: a Survivor Royale where we had a day to kill as many of our fellow comrades as we could. Winners would be rewarded with better accommodations and shiny new guns. The losers, well… can’t give any gifts to the dead, right? It was the best way to weed out the weaker kids, by having us kill each other with no efforts on their part.”

Kakashi only gives a horrified look at Obito’s casual retelling, like this is all beyond him. Water under the bridge.

It probably is.

“Like an obedient drone, I did what they told me to, year after year. By the time I went through my third Survivor Royale, I could see that this was no way for me to live. They started selling the kids once they reached thirteen, and my time would be soon. I didn’t want to get passed from one owner to the next just to do their bidding like a dog. I could see that I was greater than this. I was top in my unit. No one could best me. Already, people were trying to ally with me, hoping they wouldn’t be singled out. I had half the kids under my control. It was too easy.”

Obito had already developed his leadership abilities and ease of command since he was a child―Kakashi isn’t surprised by this in the slightest.

“Then I finally saw my chance,” the other continues. “They sent us on missions sometimes, to test our abilities. Usually it was only the older kids―they’re stronger, you know? Better survivalists for still being alive after all these years of the Survivor Royales. But I weaved myself in with little convincing. It was clear to them I was the best kid they got. I was their little ‘Ace’.” A scoff. “The mission was to take out this gang and showcase our abilities to potential buyers at the same time.”

Kakashi finds his breath stuck in his throat when Obito says, “The mission was in Konoha.”

“Finally, I was back in my birth country, even though I had no recollections of ever living there,” Obito laughs airily at this. “I bolted during the mission. They were trying to catch me, of course, but I was too good. And they had their hands full trying to counter the other guys, too. I managed to escape and hid myself in an alley until the next day when the coast was clear.”

“So here I was, finally free, in Konoha, with nothing on me but the gun in my hand. No money, no food. Nothing. The gun eventually ran out of bullets, and was useless. I was only seven at the time.”

“Oh my god…”

“I was resigned to a life of fighting homeless bums for scraps of food. It lasted three weeks before Uchiha Madara found me.”

“Uchiha Madara…” Kakashi repeats, eyes widening.

“That’s right. Uchiha Madara―former leader of Akatsuki and Minato’s father. Well. He became my father, too. Adopted me because of that ‘potential’ bullshit the facility used to gush about me.” Obito shakes his head with a derisive smile. “While it was nice that now I had a place to sleep in and food to eat, it was almost like the same situation as before. A tyrannical rule of an oppressive dictator who only knew how to use forceful violence to solve anything. No strategies to speak of. And the other members trying to sabotage me at every turn.”

“Sabotage you?” Kakashi asks, tilting his head.

“Would you be happy if a tiny kid who came out of nowhere suddenly became the boss’ son and got ranked above you?” Obito tells him. “I often got harassed by the older Akatsuki members. I couldn’t tell Madara about it because he’d just laugh at how weak I was. Minato was nice, but he wasn’t there most of the time, always busy with school and trying to escape the ‘dirty life’, as he had put it. Itachi was the only one by my side.”

Kakashi abruptly recalls Itachi’s words to him, at Kamui long ago.

_“You don’t know him at all! You weren’t there when he got bullied by the older members, you weren’t there patching up his wounds and listening attentively on how he’d get revenge on them, you weren’t there when he told me his plans of taking over Akatsuki and killing the boss, that I was the only one allowed to know, because I was special—”_

_Sixteen years,_ Itachi had spit at him.

Kakashi realizes for the first time that, despite all that’s happened between them, he barely knows Obito at all.

“You’ve been through a lot…” he comments.

“Well, it all worked out in the end,” Obito says, then takes one look at Kakashi. “Hey, what’s with that face?”

“Nothing, I just… realized that I don’t know you at all… Nothing about your past, who you were, how you became like this…”

“No one did,” is Obito’s nonchalant reply. “Would you believe me if I told you, you’re the first person to know about my past before I joined Akatsuki? The only one I told… Even Madara couldn’t get it out of me. I had told him I was just an orphan kid trying to get by in the dumps.”

Kakashi can feel his chest tighten at the words. “…Why?”

“Hmn? Why what?”

“Why did you tell me your past, then? Why me?”

The only response Obito gives is a hum and an easy smile. He lifts a hand up to tuck a stray strand of Kakashi’s hair behind his ear, and the latter can see the dry blood still caked on his palm.

“It was a game, you know,” Obito says suddenly, lips still curled into a light, but sincere smile. Almost something nostalgic about it. “You had seemed so unbreakable. And I told you, I loved playing games―loved winning. I wanted you to fall in love with me, then break you in the cruelest of ways.”

Kakashi exhales slowly as Obito continues to stroke his hair gently.

“So I got close to you. Did all the things I knew you would like. Won your affections.”

“You won,” Kakashi says.

“I won,” Obito echoes. “I won our bet, but you were the true winner between us.”

“What do you mean…?”

Obito keeps quiet for a moment, gazing out into the distance, before turning back to him. “Throughout my life, the world has always been separated into two categories: those that can be of use to me, and those that can threaten me and thus need to be eliminated. It was as simple as that. Even with Itachi, or Konan, two that were willing to put their lives on the line for me―who would walk into a line of fire had I said a simple 'Go'―they were nothing more than… chess pieces to me. A bishop or knight I can use to win a game.”

The way Obito holds his gaze, so solemn, makes his heart pounds in his chest.

“And you―you, Kakashi―you were going to be something I could use to entertain myself with.”

“A toy,” Kakashi whispers.

“A toy,” Obito repeats. He curls fingers around Kakashi’s nape and tugs him closer, until their lips are brushing against each other. Then, he murmurs, “A toy that ended up destroying me instead of the other way around.”

“What―” Kakashi doesn’t have time to say more when Obito crashes their lips together in a bruising kiss, all teeth and tongue. His hands scramble onto both sides of Obito’s hips to steady his balance, half-leaning over Obito as the other kisses him deeply, rendering him with a need for air.

“Before I knew it, you had become something so important to me,” Obito hisses when they break apart, leaving Kakashi wheezing for breath. “More important than the welfare of Akatsuki. More important than gaining power and money. More important than winning. When I wondered for the first time if it was better for me to win―for you to remember―or for us to live in that fantasy, self-lies world before you got your memories back, it was when I realized I had made my first mistake.”

“Obito…” Kakashi breathes, staring wildly into Obito’s eyes, orbs a calm but dark, translucent color.

“I didn’t know if I had wanted to win at all,” the other continues. “But in the end, you remembered, and I ended up winning our bet. So I set you free. I wanted to see if you would come back.”

“I came back…” Kakashi mutters.

“You came back, but you were different. You were stronger. You weren’t as easy to control anymore. And I had my second epiphany―that I can’t always control you.”

“I’m not―I’m not a toy,” he says, voice cracking.

“You’re not,” Obito agrees. “It was then I realized―just as I can break you, you can easily break me back.”

“Obito―”

“You were right, you are my weakness,” Obito whispers, each word shaking Kakashi to the core. “It frightens me to recognize how out of control I can get, when it comes to anything regarding you. It was a loss of my own self. I had always prided myself on the abilities to read anyone and manipulate them, but the thing I didn’t account for was the inability to manipulate my own self into someone that is unemotional. Someone that can’t be affected by you.”

“I―I don’t―”

“Maybe I don’t know how to love,” Obito’s voice is shaky as he pulls Kakashi closer into an embrace, lips tracing the side of his neck. “Maybe I’m a monster and monsters will never learn how to love, but I―I don’t know what else to call this. What else to call when I’m sitting here, crippled and half-way to death’s door, all my legacy and everything I’ve built from the ground up on the verge of collapsing before me, and yet―yet all I feel is this utter contentment that you’re still right here, with me.”

“Obito, don’t say that! You’re not going to die―” Kakashi protests, sniffling as he clutches onto the other’s back.

Obito lets out a light chuckle, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Kakashi’s head. “I meant it, ‘Kashi, when I said you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even if this is where I have to die—“

“No, we’re going to make it—“

“There is no way out of this,” Obito says, pulling back to look at Kakashi grimly. “The Salamander are scouting about at every corner. We’ll get killed before any of Akatsuki can arrive here to help from a whole country away. There are only three bullets left in my gun. Not to mention―Nagato and Konan are looking for us. My two Aces in Akatsuki… working against me now…”

“Dammit, you’re not supposed to be the pessimistic one!” Kakashi shouts, choking on his tears and panic. “You’re Uchiha Obito, boss of Akatsuki! The brilliant, fearless leader that can always think himself out of any situation! You can’t die here, I won’t let you―!”

Obito only gives him a fond smile, pecking him on the lips chastely to halt his rant. “Come on now, both you and I are realists. No delusions of grandeurs, right?”

“B―But―”

“I also meant it when I said that I wanted to at least die by your hands… Before the Salamander finds us, you should kill me then escape back to Konoha.”

“What?” Kakashi gasps. “No. No! I’m not going to k―kill you then return to Konoha! I’m not going to leave you here, I told you!”

The older man only sighs, like he had expected this. “I guess it’d be too cruel to ask you to kill me, huh? But I don’t want anyone else to put the final blow to me. It’s either you, or… I’d rather kill myself than to let someone capture me.”

“Then just don’t die!” Kakashi shouts, shaking him almost hysterically then immediately regretting it when Obito starts coughing up blood, the crimson blotches on the bandages around his chest spreading by the wound opening again. “Don’t die. Please… I promise I won’t leave. I’ll be right here with you. No matter what.”

“No matter what?”

Kakashi only smiles through his tears, fingers brushing delicately over Obito’s face, wiping away the trace of blood lingering on his lips. “Yeah. No matter what.”

“Even if we end up dying together?”

Kakashi takes a deep breath, eyes resolute. “Then we’ll die. Together—“

Kakashi can sense it before it’s happened.

A touch of Obito’s hand on his tells him the same. “You feel it, too?” the other asks.

Kakashi nods, scrambling for the gun and sliding it behind Obito, wedged in-between his back and the wall.

Hidden.

“Stay down,” Kakashi tells him. He’s just up on his feet, standing in front of Obito, when they pour in.

Men after men. All in black suits and armed with guns.

In an instance, they’ve got the whole warehouse surrounded, and at the center, walking leisurely towards them, is him.

“Kie,” Kakashi acknowledges.

“Wow, that’s a lot of blood!” Kie notes in a light tone, like he’s stating a casual fact that the sky is sunny outside.

Kakashi glances at Kie warily. Never mind Obito and his bleeding chest which had soaked through his whole shirt by now and his hands from clutching at the wound, but Kakashi’s own shirt also got smeared with blood from hugging him earlier, and his own hands too from wrenching the dagger out.

“You don’t have to worry, this isn’t my blood,” Kakashi tells him carefully.

“That’s good then!” Kie claps his hand together cheerfully. “I’d hate for my new toy to get damaged before I have a chance to inspect it!”

“What?”

“How’s he doing?” Kie ignores Kakashi, looking past him to Obito on the ground, wheezing erratically. “Damn. The Uchiha Obito, boss of Akatsuki, reduced to nothing but a bloody mess on the dirty ground of this godforsaken warehouse, huh? Some would pay millions just to see this scene!”

“Too bad all they’ll see is a dead body instead,” Obito manages to huff out, and Kakashi wants to chastise him for trying to speak instead of conserving his energy, and for provoking the Salamander member. “I’d kill myself before I let any of you dimwits capture me.”

“Spoken like the true, prideful boss of Akatsuki we all know!” Kie commends, whistling. “Don’t worry, though. I’m not interested in you.”

“What,” Obito says, but Kakashi can already feel eyes on him. Has felt it since he first stepped into the meeting place between the two organizations just earlier today.

“Hatake Kakashi, Superintendent of the CID already despite being only twenty three and graduating the Police Academy just a year ago,” Kie drones like he’s reciting from a script. “But that’s not the interesting part, though! The super, mega interesting part is he was also an Elite of Akatsuki last year, and the lover of Akatsuki’s boss!”

“Funny how you know so much now when you didn’t even recognize who I was just hours ago,” Kakashi retorts.

“It’s because you were so interesting, I had my men dug up all the information I could about you!”

“If you were so thorough, then you’d know the reason why I was an Elite was because I went undercover.”

“Mnn-hmn,” Kie agrees, taking a step closer. “But what I’m interested in is what you’re doing here, now.”

Kakashi narrows his eyes at him.

“Obito took you to our meeting,” the other says. “You. A cop. Someone who’s known to have betrayed Akatsuki and was an undercover for the police. Yet, you’re still here. Why?”

“Because I want him to be,” Obito replies. “And anything I want, happens.”

“But why,” Kie enunciates. In the blink of an eye, he reaches a hand out and grasps onto Kakashi’s wrist, tugging him forward to collide onto his chest. “Because you make a good fuck?” he whispers by Kakashi’s ear.

Kakashi darts his eyes around in his peripheral vision. Even if he were to punch and disable Kie now thanks to their close proximity, there are still dozens of men with their guns ready to shoot them at the slightest of movements.

They’re outnumbered. Hurting Kie would do no good to them.

“What do you want, Kie?” Kakashi asks as he straightens up.

“I want to play with you,” Kie answers with a childish grin. “See, I’m easily bored, so I’m always searching for new, interesting toys to play with. And a toy that’s had the boss of Akatsuki so obsessed with and can’t let go of even after the toy’s malfunction must be a very good toy, no?”

Kakashi feels like he should be offended by the other referring to him like he’s an object, a toy, but honestly, he’s been spoken about like this for so many times he’s long grown numb to this sort of degradation.

“And you think I’d happily hand him over to you,” Obito scoffs, then is immediately seized by an onslaught of coughing, and Kakashi glances back worriedly at him.

“Oh, you might,” Kie says nonchalantly. “If it’s an exchange for your freedom.”

“What do you mean?” Kakashi speaks up.

“You see, I’m not like my fellow members,” Kie starts lightly, swaying on his feet like a bored child. “I don’t care about―territories and wars and all that boring crap. I just like to have fun, you know? Soooo, if you agree to go with me, I’ll withdraw all my men and let Obito go.”

“And I’m supposed to believe this? That you won’t call for backup or tell the other members to capture Obito after?”

“Yup! Because, seriously, I’m not interested in Obito. I was actually in the middle of hunting when that blasted Hanzo pulled me out and made me go to the meeting. Mafia politics bore me so.” The other puffs his cheeks to express annoyance, and Kakashi stares at him disbelievingly.

“So if I go with you, you’ll leave Obito alone―”

“Like I’ll let Kakashi go with you―”

“Obito!” Kakashi snaps, then looks at Kie. “Can I have a moment with him?”

Kie shrugs, letting go of Kakashi’s wrist.

Kakashi turns around and crouches down in front of Obito, leaning close so he can whisper into the latter’s ear and have no one else hear.

“Your gun is behind your back,” Kakashi tells him quietly. “Use it to threaten some place with a phone and call for Kisame. A flight to here takes 2 hours. Hide yourself somewhere and wait for him until then.”

“Kakashi, what are you saying―”

“Don’t die,” Kakashi cuts him off. “Remember, you can’t die unless I take you down myself. That’s what you wanted, right? So don’t die.”

“Kakashi―”

Kakashi stares at Obito for a moment, taking in his sickly face yet still so unbearably handsome, and smiles. “I love you, Obito,” he says before leaning in and connecting their lips together, distracting Obito with the kiss as his right hand stretches up―

―and slams down hard, palm positioned into a knifehand strike, straight at Obito’s throat between his jaw and collarbone.

A common karate technique, taught in every Police Academy for self-defense to knock someone out.

In an instance, Obito’s head drops forward, falling limply onto Kakashi’s shoulder.

“Well, that was a touching scene,” Kie drawls as Kakashi sets the unconscious Obito to rest against the wall again. “Sacrificing yourself for the one you love?”

Kakashi only glowers at the other. “Let’s go.”

☩

See, the thing is, Kakashi needs to buy them more time.

That’s what they don’t have. Time. Time for Obito to recover. Time for Akatsuki’s forces to arrive from a country away.

Time to escape.

Kakashi’s made sure the Salamander member hadn’t made any phone calls or left any of his men behind once they vacated the warehouse. Judging from how Kie had arrived alone with his men, hopefully that had meant he hadn’t told any of his fellow members about their location.

That’s all Kakashi can do at this point: to gamble on Kie’s words.

That is why he’s currently standing on top of a rooftop to a building, overlooking out into the very heart of Ame.

“Don’t worry. This is my complex. No one’s allowed in unless I let them since everyone knows how I hate other people touching my property.”

Kakashi glances at the other with wary eyes. Kie has an almost childlike personality, only interested in having fun and procuring things he finds interesting instead of the more complex aspects of being in a mafia.

“Stop frowning at me like that. I don’t like unhappy-looking toys.”

“Is that why you made a deal with me?” Kakashi asks. “Because with your mob of men, you could’ve easily forcefully captured us.”

“Well, I do have a feeling that loverboy of yours would’ve probably shot both of you and committed couple suicide or some such first before I could get my hands on you." The other shrugs. “But yeah, it’s no fun playing with a toy that refuses to obey you, right? It’s more fun to watch things submit under you.”

Kakashi shudders at his words. Familiar words. People in the mafia seem to have this sick preference for watching things―people―submit beneath them in a dub-consensual kind of way.

“So come on. I don’t have all day,” Kie says.

“…What do you want me to do?”

“For now?” the other licks his lips as he leers at him, sliding his gaze up and down like he’s inspecting a piece of meat. “Come here. Let me unwrap my present first.”

Unwrap… Kakashi repeats internally, cringing. He glances to the sides. Kie’s men are flanked across the rooftop, and he hasn’t seen any that’s left, but… “How do I know you’ll keep your deal? What if Obito is getting attacked at this very moment?”

Kie pouts. “I didn’t! I told you, I have no interest in Uchiha Obito or Akatsuki. Their territory is in Konoha, and I like it here in Ame, you know? They have no use to me.”

“But they have use to your other members.”

“So? I don’t gotta hand Obito over to them if that means I don’t get to have you.”

“Or you could do both…”

Kie tuts impatiently. “Are you rethinking our deal?”

Kakashi hesitates. He really―really―doesn’t want to do this. Kie for sure wants more than a few kisses―

“Fine!” the other snaps. “If you’re not keeping your end of the deal, then this means I’m not gaining anything. If so, then I might as well tell Hanzo Obito’s location, so I can at least get some new toys as a reward from our boss, huh?”

“W―Wait―” Kakashi shouts when he sees the other taking his cellphone out. “I―”

“You…?”

“I―I will. Come.” Kakashi stutters, trying hard not to tremble as he takes nervous steps towards Kie.

“I think I’ll like you. You’re such a pretty toy.” the other smiles as he cards a hand through Kakashi’s hair before gripping tight, yanking him harshly forward into a vicious kiss.

“W—wait—“ Kakashi mumbles, trying to restrain his arms from punching the other through the guts as he feels hands sliding down his chest, groping and trying to unbutton his shirt.

“Why? It’s time to unwrap my present, is it not―” Whatever else the other man was going to say gets halted abruptly by a deafening noise.

BANG.

Kakashi watches wordlessly, eyes wide with shock, as the man before him falls slowly backward, the right side of his temple dripping with―

―blood―

Instantaneously, gunshots are echoing endlessly in the air as Kie’s men try to shoot whoever it was that attacked their superior, and Kakashi crouches down, eyes squeezed shut and palms covering his ears as he prays for this to be over soon.

It is.

By the time he opens his eyes and looks around him, every single man in Kie’s crew is dead, pools of crimson spreading on the concrete. Standing in the middle, walking towards him with firm steps as the smoke clears, is―

“Konan…”

“You really always get yourself in these types of situations, don’t you?” the woman scolds, looking at the dead bodies in distaste. “Come on, let’s go.”

“W―Wait,” Kakashi stumbles when the other grasps onto his wrist and tugs him forward. “Where―”

“Away,” Konan answers simply. “Remember what I told you? The next time I see you, I’m taking you away from all this carnage.”

“No―”

“Are you seriously still going to refuse?” Konan asks him exasperatedly. “You almost got raped by that miscreant! And where the fuck was Obito during all this, huh? Not here! He wasn’t here for you!”

“No, I…” Kakashi lowers his gaze, gnawing on his lip. “That was my plan… The deal was… he’d leave Obito alone if… if I let him…”

“Get ahold of yourself!” Konan screams, clutching both his shoulders and shaking him. “You were going to let Kie fuck you so Obito can escape? How can you think so little of your body?”

“I…”

“You’ve grown mad,” Konan shakes her head disbelievingly. “I can’t let you stay with Obito any longer. Or he’ll ruin you to the point of no return.”

 _I think it’s a little too late for that now,_ Kakashi retorts bitterly inside his mind.

“I need to take you. Far. Far away from here,” Konan continues, almost as if to herself. “Some place Obito can’t reach. You need. You need a fresh start―”

“No, Konan―”

“I’ll do it. I’ll knock you out,” the other cuts him off, face determined. “I don’t care if I have to restrain you afterward so you won’t kill yourself, but you need―need to be away from him.”

“Konan, no―”

Kakashi watches with distraught eyes as Konan raises a hand up, no doubt intending to knock Kakashi unconscious not unlike what Kakashi had done to Obito just moments earlier, and he’s about to struggle―

―when a gunshot blares through the air as a bullet hits Konan’s wrist, blasting it backward and slapping the gun away from her fingers.

“You can’t do that, Konan,” a voice resounds from behind them, and Kakashi’s eyes widen in recognition.

“Yes I can! That was the plan we agreed to―”

“The only plan that matters to me is Uchiha Obito’s demise, and we need Kakashi for that if we want to lure him out,” the voice continues nonchalantly as its owner walks towards them with calm steps, and Kakashi feels like he can’t breathe, for when he turns around, there is―

“―Orochimaru…”

The new arrival only gives him a light smile. “Hi, Kakashi. I guess it’s time I reveal the truth, huh?”

It’s like déjà vu.

Like that time in Kamui when he first saw Itachi step through the room.

God. Why is he always getting played like this?

“Dammit, Orochimaru. Don’t tell me you’re a spy in the police, too,” Kakashi grits, glaring at the mentioned man.

“Spy? Not quite. I am a police officer.”

“But you’re working with Konan.”

“Because it’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” the other replies simply. He takes a casual step towards Kakashi.

“So you guys know each other? How? I mean, Konan works”―worked?―“for Akatsuki.”

“I used to live in Ame before,” Orochimaru replies. “That’s how we met.”

“And we didn’t start talking again until we had a common goal, did we,” Konan adds, clutching at her hand where there is blood still steadily dripping down from the gunshot earlier. “Although… That might’ve not been the case anymore. Or ever did.”

“It’s still common. We want to take down Obito.”

“Yes, but Kakashi wasn’t part of our plan!”

“Did you really think,” Orochimaru asks with a tilt of his head, “we can lure Obito here without using Kakashi as a hostage?”

Kakashi curses. It’s always been like this―enemies of Obito using him as a bargaining chip to get to Obito.

“We can do it without using Kakashi,” Konan disagrees. “We outnumber him, and he’s injured!”

“It will still be safer and more reassuring to keep Kakashi to threaten him,” Orochimaru says, taking another step towards Kakashi with cold, determined eyes.

“No, I’m not letting you take him as hostage for your powerplay. He’s coming with me,” Konan growls, reaching inside her jacket to no doubt take out a dagger―

―as Orochimaru calmly says, “You might not want to do that, Konan,”―

―and another shot erupts in the air, slapping the dagger out of Konan’s hand again.

“Fuck!” Konan screams, glaring in the direction of where the bullet had come from.

Shit. Shit shit shit, Kakashi panics upon seeing who it is.

“What the fuck, you’re siding with him too, Nagato?” Konan asks in disbelief.

“Sorry, Konan. Orochimaru makes sense, you know? We all know Kakashi is Obito’s biggest weakness. We need him to take Obito down,” Nagato replies, keeping one gun pointed at Konan as his other hand, equipped with another gun, shoots at Konan’s old gun still laying on the ground from where it had fallen earlier, skidding it farther away from its owner so Konan can’t pick it up.

“Nagato, keep an eye on her while I get Kakashi,” Orochimaru says before turning towards Kakashi. “Now. Do you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?”

Kakashi scoffs, eyes trained on the other man even as the muzzle of the gun gets closer and closer towards him until it hits his chest.

“I know you can take care of yourself in a fight. But don’t try anything funny or I’ll blow a hole through your skin.”

“Pretty sure you need to keep me alive if you wanna threaten Obito with me,” Kakashi retorts dryly.

“Smart boy,” Orochimaru chuckles as he steps behind Kakashi, wrenching one of his arms back harshly and making the latter cry out at the violence, his shoulder almost dislocating in the process. “You know I can put holes in you and still have you breathing, right?”

Kakashi shudders at the emotionless tone as he twists his head back to glare at the man behind him, a gun pointing warningly at his throat. “Just who exactly are you? What kind of cop is―this―”

“A cop who isn’t deluded in feats of grandeurs like Minato,” Orochimaru answers, kicking the back of his legs to make Kakashi drop down onto his knees. “A cop who knows you sometimes gotta get your hands dirty to achieve justice.”

“Justice… Even Minato, despite how much he hates Obito, has never stooped as low as you… You can’t call yourself a cop―”

“And how do you know I don’t hate Obito more than Minato does?” Orochimaru huffs, digging the muzzle at his temple in annoyance. “Because let me tell you, I hate him far more than any of you here ever could.”

“…Why?”

“Because he was the one who killed my father!” the other snaps, shocking Kakashi. “He fucking―ruined my family―”

Obito killed Orochimaru’s father? He remembers when he was researching Obito, there wasn’t anything of note that connected him to Orochimaru’s father. In the first place, Obito rarely killed anyone himself, especially after he became the boss of Akatsuki. There wasn’t a need for him to dirty his own hands―

“How long ago was this? Must have been awhile, right? Before he took over Akatsuki?”

Orochimaru chuckles. “You know, sometimes I wondered how you got so far, but I guess you’re smarter than you look. Yes, it was. Twenty years ago, to be exact.”

Twenty years ago… Calculations run through his mind instantly. Obito is currently twenty-four. Twenty years ago, Obito was only four then… Four…

 _The first time I held a gun was when I was four,_ Obito had told him. _The first time I killed someone was five months after. It was during one of our training drills, an accident. It was my own instructor._

Kakashi gasps immediately. “Did your father use to be an instructor for an underground child soldier program?”

Kakashi can feel Orochimaru freezing at his words. “How… How did you know that? No one should―”

“Child soldier program?” Nagato raises an eyebrow while Konan looks equally intrigued.

“Jesus christ, Obito was four back then! It was an accident―”

“I don’t fucking care!” Orochimaru screams suddenly, smashing the sole of his shoe onto Kakashi’s back in anger, making the latter crash down onto the ground. “My father was dead because of him! And since the organization silenced anyone not of use to them anymore, including their families to leave no trail, they came after my mother and me! We tried to smuggle ourselves to Konoha, but my mother was shot and killed while trying to distract them from noticing me! I watched her died in front of my eyes while I was hidden behind a barrel on a ship to Konoha!”

Kakashi wheezes heavily, pushing himself up shakily onto his hands and knees.

“And it’s all that fucking Uchiha Obito’s fault! We were a happy family! It took me years to find out the damn kid who had killed my father had become the adopted child of Akatsuki’s boss! Living a rose-tinted life! While here I am, with nothing left―”

“You’re sorely mistaken if you think Obito’s life has been rose-tinted―” The rest of Kakashi’s retort morphs into grunts of pain as Orochimaru keeps kicking him brutally, almost hysterically, like he’s lost it after revealing his past.

“Goddamnit, stop hurting Kakashi!” Konan snarls, watching the scene. “Nagato! Can’t you see how crazy Orochimaru has become? Kakashi is innocent in all this!”

Nagato looks torn as he slides his gaze at the two. “Stop hurting Kakashi, Orochimaru. You’re directing your anger at the wrong person.”

“Am I?” Orochimaru hisses, hurling Kakashi backwards by grabbing a fistful of his hair roughly. “Fine. If you don’t want me to hurt you anymore, then tell me where the fuck Obito’s location is!”

“Like I’d ever tell you―Ah―!” Kakashi gasps brokenly as the other slams his head down onto the ground, skin splitting and blood dripping from his temple from the impact against the hard cement.

His head is spinning and his vision is starting to get hazy when he hears a new voice breathe out, “Oh my god… What―Is that Orochimaru? What is―”

“Shit, Yahiko―” Nagato curses as he sees Yahiko at the entrance to the rooftop.

“Nagato, what the fuck is this?” Yahiko looks like he wants to say more but opts to glance back in concern at the two in the far corner again. “Damnit, Orochimaru, I don’t know what you’re planning but why the fuck are you hurting Kakashi? He’s done nothing―”

“That’s the problem,” Orochimaru replies, his words low yet chilling as he jerks Kakashi up by the hair again carelessly. “If he’d tell me where Obito is I wouldn’t need to bruise up this pretty face, now would I?”

“You can kill me if you want,” Kakashi manages to pant out, vision dotted with black spots as he can feel blood dripping steadily down his cheek from his forehead. Not good. He’s got a head wound and he’s close to blacking out.

Or maybe good. Maybe this can all be over with, as long as Obito is safe―

“Hatake Kakashi―” Orochimaru murmurs threateningly, jamming the gun against his neck.

“I will never―ever―tell you where Obito is.” _He’s probably escaped by now. Hopefully back to Konoha_ , he adds internally. “So go ahead. Kill me. I don’t care.”

There’s a stilted silence as the other digests his words until he spits out, “Fine. Maybe you’d be more likely to talk after I put a few holes in you. As long as you’re still breathing and can talk, it doesn’t matter if your arms and legs get blown to bits, right?”

In an instance, there are protests resounding in the air.

Yahiko yells, “Dammit, Kakashi, Obito is not worth this, tell him―” the same time Konan shouts, “Orochimaru, I swear to god I’m gonna kill you if you do anything further―”

Amidst the noises, no one hears when the door to the rooftop is opened once again, and out steps someone―

―someone none of them expected.

“Let him go, Orochimaru,” a voice resounds through the air, ripping through the commotion with a clear, firm, cutting tone.

Kakashi feels like he can't breathe when he slides his gaze towards the entrance, where there stood―

“O―Obito…”

“Hi, ‘Kashi. Sorry I’m late,” Obito smiles softly at him, and Kakashi can feel the tears he’s been trying so hard to keep in from all the torture resurfacing, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Obito is here, his shirt still drenched in dry blood, face pale and obviously in poor health, but he’s here―

Standing tall, the same eyes, same nose, same lips.

The same intimidating posture as he straightens up and shifts his eyes back to the man behind Kakashi, gaze cold and terrifying despite the haggard appearance―

The boss of Akatsuki, unflinching, daunting, fearless―

“Let Kakashi go. He’s innocent in all this. I’m here now. You can kill me instead,” is what Obito says with resolved eyes, and Kakashi feels his heart stopping at the words.

Kakashi feels his heart lodged inside his throat as he watches Obito take steady steps towards them.

“You’re finally here!” Orochimaru cackles hysterically. “I knew you would come if your precious Kakashi is in danger.”

“Yes, I’m here. So let him go,” Obito tells him grimly.

“Come here first. And don’t even think about trying anything funny or I’ll blow Kakashi’s head off.”

“No, don’t come―” Kakashi cries. “Why are you here, you should be―Ah!” he wheezes when Orochimaru tightens the arm around his neck, cutting off his airway.

Obito's eyes flash. “Don’t hurt him!” He finally arrives to stand directly in front of them.

Orochimaru inspects him.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have any weapons on me.” Obito puts his hand up in surrender. “You can ask Konan to search me if you want.”

“No need. I know you wouldn’t dare if you’re smart,” the other scoffs. With one harsh shove, Kakashi stumbles and faceplants at the ground as Orochimaru spins Obito around, locking his arms behind his back with a gun pointing threateningly at his throat. “I finally have you―”

Kakashi stares up from his position on the ground in panic when he can see how close Orochimaru is to pulling the trigger and killing Obito. His vision is spinning when he spots something gleaming on the pavement nearby.

Konan’s gun from where Nagato skidded it earlier.

With the last of his strength, he leaps towards the object and, without wasting time to blink, aims at Orochimaru’s hand to knock away the gun pointing at Obito.

Unfortunately, with his head wound and the bloodloss, his vision blurry, and combined with trying not to shoot at Obito himself since they’re so close together, he misses and the bullet grazes Orochimaru’s shoulder instead.

“You bitch―!” the other hisses, raising his gun to aim at him.

Everything seems like it’s happening all at once as Obito elbows the man behind him, knocking him back as Yahiko is finally able to shoot at Orochimaru now without bringing danger to Kakashi, and, in a flash, the man falters back, bleeding out from the chest.

“It’s over now, Orochimaru,” Konan announces, frowning at him. The mentioned man looks wildly about, knowing Konan was done with him the moment he had hurt Kakashi, and Nagato wouldn’t dare to help him with Yahiko around.

Kakashi, though, isn’t paying attention to any of that. All he can see is Obito staggering his way towards him, eyes locked to him in yearning. “‘Kashi…”

“Obito―” Just when the other is finally within Kakashi’s reach, there’s a roar from behind Obito as Orochimaru screams ludicrously.

“I will take you down, Uchiha Obito,” Orochimaru murmurs, his voice a low, chilling sound. “No matter if I have to go down with you in the process. I will avenge for my family no matter what!”

“Obito, behind you―” Kakashi gasps as he watches Orochimaru dive down, clutching arms around Obito’s waist before dragging them both backward, towards―

―the edge of the rooftop―

“Obito―” Kakashi yells, scrambling forward and crawling hurriedly towards them when Orochimaru leaps from the rooftop, pulling Obito with him.

“Obito, oh my god, no, please, don’t let go,” he cries, staring anxiously down from the ledge. Obito manages to grab one hand onto the ledge while the rest of his body dangles dangerously in thin air. Orochimaru seems to have already fallen off, but that’s not what Kakashi is focusing on at the moment―

“As long as you’re safe…” Obito manages to wheeze out, puffs of air hitting the wall but his hold is faltering. “I told you before, I have no regrets as long as you stay safe…”

“No, oh my god,” Kakashi hiccups, tears flowing down his cheeks freely as he clutches onto Obito’s arm in desperation, but it’s too slippery from all the blood. “Give me your other hand. You can do it. Please, don’t fall. Don’t die. I can’t live without you, Obito—”

“Remember, I love you, ‘Kashi…” Obito whispers, voice but a soft caress in the wind as his grip finally loosens, fingers trembling from unable to hold his body up due to all the loss of strength, and―

“Obito. No no noooooo―” Kakashi screams, watching in horror as Obito falls down right before his eyes, body plunging into the abyss below. “Obito―”

“Kakashi, stop, you can’t go after him―” Yahiko shouts as he and Konan finally made it towards them, holding Kakashi back at the last second when he was about to jump after Obito.

“No, let me go!” Kakashi screams, struggling frantically against them almost madly. “I need to go after Obito, he can’t die, he can’t leave me―”

His words are abruptly cut off as they all hear a muted thump! from down below.

Kakashi hastily looks down from the rooftop, and feels his body run cold.

Obito is a bloody mess on the ground, ten stories below.

“No. No… Nonononono ahhhhh―”


	14. Chapter 14

THREE MONTHS LATER,

“―Has decided, due to the inconclusive evidence, Uchiha Obito will be placed under house arrest for six months. If, during this time, he is found to partake in any suspicious activities, he shall be tried again, with a harsher sentence this time.”

“That is all. Court is now adjourned.”

A gavel bangs on the hardwood soundblock, a resolute sound.

☩

“Kakashi!”

Kakashi looks back to see Minato giving him a pointed look at the other end of the hallway. Biting on his lip, he turns to the man beside him. “Wait here, okay? It’ll only be a minute.”

The man nods, standing still, and Kakashi makes his way towards his superior.

“Are you really okay with this?” Minato asks him just as Kakashi is within reach.

“…It’s not like we can charge him any further due to the lack of evidence,” Kakashi reluctantly says. “Obito did cover all his bases when we went to Ame, and from the actual physical evidence remaining and the hospital records afterward and the testimonies, it actually made him look like the victim instead due to what happened…”

“Well, yes, but,” Minato sighs tiredly. “This isn’t right, is it? We all know he deserves a way harsher sentence. This is like―nothing―”

“You’re right, but we can’t do much unless he does something incriminating again and we have the proper evidence to show to the judge,” Kakashi explains patiently. “And given the way he is now…” He chances a look back to where he left the man, who is lingering nonchalantly with his back leaning on the wall, gazing idly at the passersby. “Well… I don’t think it’ll happen…”

Minato follows Kakashi’s gaze and lets out another sigh. “Unless he goes back to his old ways,” he mutters. “You can wipe the mind, but you can’t wipe habits and the inclinations to do bad things that’s been imbedded inside you since young.”

Kakashi nods his head, understanding the older man’s concern. With how wretched Obito’s past had been, it was no wonder he grew up to be the person that he was, and saying Kakashi isn’t the slightest bit worried would be a lie, but he reassuringly tells Minato, “I’ll be the first one to stop him if that happens.”

Minato is still staring at the subject of their conversation. “Sometimes I wonder if things would’ve turned out differently if I had been a better brother,” he says after a moment, a bitter smile on his lips. “Maybe, if I hadn’t been too focused on trying to escape that life, I could’ve stayed around Obito and Itachi more. I could’ve done something before it was too late.”

 _Maybe,_ Kakashi thinks, mind drifting back to the story Obito told him at the abandoned warehouse in Ame three months ago. _Though I doubt it would’ve made much difference_. And he’s had enough of dwelling in these ‘what-ifs’, so he says, “It wasn’t your fault.”

Minato lets out a light chuckle. “It probably wasn’t, but sometimes... I can’t but imagine a different future where we had been able to grow up normally. And seeing him like this... a selfish part of me is glad, and can’t help but wish things could stay the way it is now.”

“I’ll take good care of him, so don’t worry about us.” Kakashi gives Minato a reassuring smile. “Anyways, I gotta go now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow at work, okay?” Kakashi says, jogging up to the man who has been waiting for him.

“Hey, sorry. Did you wait long?”

“It’s alright,” the other shrugs. He looks behind Kakashi, and the latter follows suit to see Minato giving them a concerned look before walking away. “Your superior doesn’t look too happy.”

“Ah, well…”

“He probably thinks I should’ve gotten a harsher sentence, huh…?”

Kakashi gives him a sheepish look that is more like a cringe instead. _As a police officer, he does. But as someone who still sees you as his little brother, he wants you to have a peaceful life, too,_ is what he can’t tell him.

“It’s alright, I understand. I must have been a really awful person, huh?”

Kakashi feels his heart pricking at the sad, despondent look in the other’s eyes. “Obito…”

Looking at him like this, it reminds Kakashi of that day at the hospital a month ago.

☩

A MONTH EARLIER,

“Who… are you…?”

Obito finally wakes up from a coma after two months, and this―this is the first thing that comes out of his mouth.

Kakashi feels his vision whitening out as he listens to the doctor’s diagnosis.

“A―Amnesia…?” he repeats faintly.

The doctor nods. “It was a miracle he had survived the fall at all. The tree thankfully broke his fall halfway down, so the impact wasn’t as fatal, but he still sustained a considerable head wound. Not to mention with all the loss of blood from his chest… There wasn’t enough blood flowing to his brain. It isn’t unexpected that this could happen.”

“But―Amnesia… You mean he forgot everything? I―I had it, too, before, but I still remembered some of my past―”

“The degree of amnesia depends on the injuries, and the actual person. PTSD could have a lot to do with it, too. If he hadn’t had a very pleasant past, it isn’t a surprise if his mind chose to wipe everything out, starting a new blank slate.”

“A blank slate…” Kakashi murmurs, feeling like he might pass out. “Will he… Will he remember, one day?”

“No one knows,” the doctor answers honestly, but kindly. “He could regain it if something by chance triggers it, like seeing something of the past or have an incident similar happen to him again, or… He could live, never regaining his memories until the day he dies of old age.”

“Oh my god…” Kakashi whispers, not sure how to feel. Even after the doctor has left and Kakashi is standing in front of Obito again, he still isn’t sure what to say.

The man on the bed gives him a hesitant look, and it looks so out of place on the normally confident expression on Obito's face. “So I take it you were―are… someone close to me? I’m sorry that I can’t remember you…”

“I―It’s alright…” It’s not alright at all, but Kakashi doesn’t know how else to respond.

“Hey…” the other winces, looking almost embarrassed. “It’s probably really stupid to ask this, but… Do you know what my name is? I can’t… I can’t even remember that… God, I feel really stupid right now…”

“Your name…” Kakashi stares, choking back a sob as he takes in the open, almost innocent look on the other’s face, and feels his hands trembling by his sides. For a moment, he contemplates whether to give him a new name, but then he shakes his head faintly. “Your name… Your name is Obito.”

“Obito…” Obito murmurs with a small smile on his face. “It sounds nice… I think I’ll like it.”

“Yeah…” Kakashi agrees, smiling back even as a tear starts to slide down his cheek. “Yeah, I hope you’ll like it, too.”

☩

“I know you’ve been here before, but this is my home. And it’ll also be your home from now on. This is where you’ll stay in for your house arrest. I’ll show you to your room―”

“Kakashi,” Obito calls out, wrapping fingers around his wrist to tug him back.

“W―What is it?”

“I was a really bad person before, huh?”

Kakashi gnaws on his lip.

“And that’s―I’m okay with it, you know. Receiving this sentence. Because even if I can’t remember a thing, I still need to pay for all the crimes I did, but…” There’s pain inside Obito’s orbs as he continues. “The thing that upsets me the most is that I… I probably hurt you, right? In the past?”

Kakashi drops his gaze, staring at their linked hands.

“I noticed you always look at me with this… this look in your eyes. Like. Like you don’t know how to react to me? You treat me really nicely, but… I can see the suffering behind your eyes that you’re desperately trying to hide, and it… It makes me feel really bad… That you treat me so well despite having been hurt by me in the past…”

“I…”

“And I just... I don’t get why? Why are you doing this to yourself? Why did you volunteer to be in charge of my house arrest if it’s going to bring you nothing but pain?”

“Because…” Kakashi sucks in a breath, voice shaky. “Because yes, it’s true, you did hurt me a lot in the past, but… But you also made me happy, too. And most importantly, you made me feel loved. I loved you, before. And even if you forgot everything and don’t love me anymore, I can’t―can’t just leave you to be by yourself. I can’t just make these feelings go away. I still l―love you…”

“Kakashi…” Obito murmurs, and Kakashi almost jolts as he feels a palm by his cheek, wiping away a fallen tear. He didn’t even realize he was crying. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Kakashi’s breath hitches, his heart pounding erratically inside his chest as Obito pulls him inside his arms, embracing him.

“I can’t promise that I’ll ever regain my memory,” the other whispers in his ear. “But I do―I do feel this… this connection, between us. Even at that first moment when I woke up in the hospital room and you were the first person I saw, sleeping beside me in a chair with your head resting on my bed, I could feel something familiar about you. I must have… I must have loved you a lot, too, before I lost my memories.”

Kakashi just cries harder, fingers clutching onto Obito’s shirt.

“I can’t promise I’ll ever regain my memory,” Obito repeats. “But I want… I want to give us a chance. If you’re willing. If I was such a horrible person to you in the past, then I want… I want to treat you right, this time. Treat you with the love you deserve. I want to love you right.”

“You want…” Kakashi hiccups, pulling back to look at Obito in the eyes. “You want us to… start over?”

“If you’ll let me,” the other tells him.

And Kakashi gazes into Obito’s eyes, sees his dark orbs that are normally swirling with chaos, surprisingly clear for once. Open. Bared.

Brimming with love.

The same loving gaze Obito used to give him, in the past. And for all of Obito and his lies and deceptions and manipulations, there had only ever been one thing Kakashi sincerely believed Obito had been honest about:

That Obito loved Kakashi. This is the unflinching truth.

And maybe―maybe this is a second chance. Maybe god had finally seen all the shit Kakashi had gone through. Finally taken pity on him and given him one more chance at happiness.

Obito is alive. And even if he is a new Obito with no memories of the past now―even if he doesn’t really remember Kakashi and all the things they’ve been through together―

If he still loves Kakashi, then maybe that’s good enough.

Maybe that day, when Obito fell off the rooftop, he was killed―

―and the new Obito is reborn from his ashes.

And maybe, this isn’t a bad thing at all.

“Kakashi…?” Obito says uncertainly, nervous at his lack of answer.

Kakashi breathes in, breathes out. Lips slowly curling into a genuine smile, and says, “Okay.”

“Okay…?”

“Okay. Let’s start over. You and I.”

☩

“Kakashi? What’s that?”

Kakashi looks up from where he’s leaning over the counter. “I bought a fish tank. Thought I’d like to keep some fish as pets.”

“Hmn,” Obito hums, walking up to him and gazing into the fish tank. “That’s quite a variety of fish you’ve bought.”

“Isn’t it?” Kakashi smiles brightly. “I like my tank colorful with all the different types. It’s a shame I can’t buy my favorite one, though.”

“Your favorite kind of fish…” The other tilts his head, inspecting him. “Dolphins, right?’

Kakashi freezes. “H―How do you know?” For one horrifying moment, he wonders if Obito has regained his memories, and he doesn’t know if he should feel dread or relief.

The older man, however, simply reaches a hand out towards the collar of his shirt and hooks a finger inside. “Your necklace,” he replies, twirling the crystal dolphin around. “You always wear it. I’ve never seen you take it off.”

“Ah, yeah…” Kakashi lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “This… This was a present from you, actually.”

“Really?” Obito blinks in surprise.

“Mnn…” Kakashi nods, slightly distracted as the memories flood him. Obito bought it as a… replacement, for the necklace he had taken as… collateral, of some sort, for their bet.

Kakashi wonders where his old necklace is, now. Is it still inside Obito’s house? Did Obito hide it somewhere? Will the location be lost forever now that the old Obito no longer exists?

“Kakashi?”

“Ah,” Kakashi snaps out of his memories, trying for a smile. “You got this for me when we visited an aquarium two years ago.”

“Oh.” There’s a regretful look in his eyes when he says, “I guess I can’t take you there again like this, huh?”

‘Like this’ as in being under house arrest. As in being unable to set a single foot outside the house unless special permissions are given.

Six months.

“But you know,” Kakashi divulges, closing his eyes. “I think I’d rather prefer this.”

“Huh?”

“Back when you were free,” he explains, “you could go anywhere. You could take me anywhere, but… I was always so… anxious, then. I’d never know if the place you were taking me to would be a good place or not. I was always… worried, for what you would do. I was always worried something would happen to us.” Kakashi drops his head. “This might sound selfish, but… knowing that you can’t go anywhere right now _,”―knowing you can’t go out and do bad things―_ ”gives me a sense of… respite. Because whenever I get home from work, you are always there waiting for me. I am happy we can be together like this, so I don’t care if we can’t go out to places.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sorry, this sounds awfully selfish of me, doesn’t it?” Kakashi winces, gnawing on his lip. “It’s definitely not pleasant at all being stuck inside a house 24/7, is it?”

“Hmn… I guess not, but…” Obito has a look of pondering on his face before giving him a soft smile. “But I’m like you, you know. Just as you don’t mind us not being able to go out on dates, I don’t mind not being able to go outside as long as you’re by my side.”

“Hehe,” Kakashi chuckles quietly, face flushing with happiness from the words. “Ah, you know, we took a commemorative photo that day, when we went to the aquarium. Would you like to see it? I kept it in one of the drawers.”

“Sure,” Obito replies indulgently, a thumb brushing over his reddened cheek.

“Oh, but don’t laugh when you see it, okay? My expression looked pretty silly…”

“You would never look silly to me,” Obito tells him. “You are always the most beautiful person in the room to me.”

“Ahhh, don’t say such cheesy stuff, you’re going to make my head explode!” Kakashi whines even though there’s a giddy smile on his face. “Stay here. Let me go get it―”

“Kakashi,” Obito calls out suddenly, grabbing onto his wrist to stop him halfway. When Kakashi turns back to him, there’s a somber expression on his face. “Are you happy?”

“Huh?”

“Are you happy?” the other repeats, eyes boring into him. His orbs are always so dark, and Kakashi never fails to feel lost inside their abyss.

“Are you happy, like this?”

“Like this?”

“Me forgetting everything,” he clarifies. “We must’ve… had a lot of memories together, right? Are you okay with me not remembering a thing? All those times we’ve shared?”

Kakashi keeps quiet, gazing steadily back at Obito, and answers in a soft voice. “It’s true that you’ve lost all the memories we’ve had together, and those were what made us… fall in love with each other. You forgot why you loved me, and you forgot why I loved you.” He paused, “But Obito, you know… There were happy times, but there were sad times, as well. And honestly, I thought I had lost you forever that day when you fell off the building, so… you being alive, and being here, with me, is all that matters to me, now.”

“Kakashi…”

“I just… All I want for us now, is to be together, peacefully. And maybe make new memories. Happy ones.” _Only happy ones,_ Kakashi prays silently. _Please, let me be happy for once._

“And what if… What if I remember one day?”

Kakashi keeps his gaze steady on the other when he answers, “Then I guess we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”

“Would you want me to regain my memories?”

“I don’t know.” Kakashi drops his head, eyes lingering on their intertwined hands. “I don’t know.”

“Would you still love me no matter what?”

At this, Kakashi snaps his head up, eyes wide, because―

Because Kakashi had asked this question to Obito before, and Obito had in turn asked this back at him.

_“I meant,” Kakashi says, gazing into the other’s eyes, “do you love me no matter what happens? No matter what’ll become to either of us?”_

_Obito tilts his head. “Did you take some lessons from Nagato? That guy is so ridiculously cynical, I don’t know how Yahiko handles him, to be honest.”_

_“Obito,” Kakashi whines, “answer the question!”_

_“Haha, alright,” Obito acquiesces, chuckling. “I’ll love you no matter what happens. That, I’m sure of.”_

_“Really?” Kakashi asks, staring intently into Obito’s eyes, but the latter’s gaze is unflinching._

_“Really.” Obito leans forward and gives him a quick peck before asking, “What about you?”_

_“Me?”_

_Obito nods. “Would you love me no matter what happens? In the past, the present, or the future?”_

_Kakashi takes a deep breath, closing his eyes before slowly fluttering them open. “You’re the first person I’ve ever loved,” he confesses. “I don’t think… I don’t think I’ll ever know what it’s like to not be in love with you, because I don’t know any other way than to love you.”_

Kakashi laughs softly, almost bitterly, to himself, because despite all that’s happened, his answer hasn’t changed.

It never will.

☩

FIVE MONTHS LATER,

The firm is dark save for the office in the far back corner. Even at this distance, Yahiko can see the other meticulously working on his blueprint, hunched over the desk.

“Late night again?” he asks as he steps inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Mnn, sorry. We have a project going on and need the layout finalized as soon as possible.” Nagato looks up, noticing the bag in his hand. “What’s that?”

“Because I am a super awesome boyfriend,” Yahiko proclaims, setting the bag on the table. “I bought you food! I’m sure you’re hungry by now.”

“More like you just want to get me fat,” Nagato retorts with a smirk. “That, or you’re hungry yourself.”

“You got me.” Yahiko sticks out his tongue while taking out the two boxes, revealing matching sets of beef chow fun. “I am actually hungry. I just finished my shift at the bar and thought I’d come keep you company. So be thankful!”

“I am thankful,” Nagato says, and his tone might sound sarcastic, but his eyes are soft, and the smile is too genuine to not be true.

Yahiko pulls him towards the couch so they can eat together.

“Do you remember,” Yahiko starts, chopsticks poking around the beef slices, “we used to eat like this, squeezed in a small corner before, too. Except it was much darker. We were hiding in an alleyway waiting for our target to come out of his house to ambush him.”

“I remember,” Nagato snorts. “It was my mission but you insisted on tagging along because you wanted to ‘cultivate experience on how an assassination mission works’, and I was against it because I liked working alone and didn’t want to drag a deadweight around.”

“Hey, I wasn’t deadweight!” Yahiko shouts. “I took out at least a dozen of his bodyguards, didn’t I?”

“Yes. You were surprisingly good with a gun, I was shocked. I could see that you were very determined to climb up the ranking ladder. So I recommended you to Obito.”

“You know, there were a lot of protests at first,” Yahiko mumbles, head dropping. “They said I used my connection with you to become an Elite. That I whored myself out to you to get my position.”

“I know,” Nagato says, not looking at him when he continues, “…Didn’t the rumors and whispers all quiet down within a week, though?”

Yahiko blinks. “Oh. Now that you mentioned it, you’re right! It was faster than I expected. I heard Konan’s rumors on her quick promotion lasted much longer. How come―” He scans over Nagato’s calm but undecipherable expression, and gasps. “Wait, was it you? Did you―”

“I killed anyone who dared to whisper it in any corner of the street, and soon enough everyone knew better than to degrade you of all people,” Nagato states nonchalantly, shrugging. “I wasn’t going to let them badmouth you. They would die by my hands first before they could even think of hurting you in any way.”

Yahiko’s eyes soften, biting on his lip. Truthfully, he should feel horrified that Nagato murdered many people so casually just for speaking badly about Yahiko, but that is how the mafia works: you either eat or get eaten, depending on how smart you are and knowing when to rebel or keep your mouth shut.

“Still, slaughtering your own Akatsuki members, though,” Yahiko nudges him. “Was Obito okay with that?”

“You know how well Obito treated us,” Nagato says, and Yahiko silently agrees. Even when he was an undercover cop and knew this didn’t mean anything, Obito had always treated the Elites with respect and indulgence.

Perhaps that was why they were all so loyal to him.

“Besides, I was his best assassin. He wouldn’t choose even hundreds of his lackeys over me.”

And Yahiko knows it was true. After Obito, only Nagato and maybe Itachi had held the most power in Akatsuki. That was why Nagato was his mission in the first place, for Minato knew the man had been with Akatsuki from the very beginning, and had access to many important, private information about the organization.

Nagato was someone who was so feared, renowned all throughout the country and even internationally, too. He was so revered, so powerful.

Akatsuki’s number one killer.

And yet, he is here, sitting in a small private firm, eating beef chow fun on a tiny couch and working a nine-to-five desk job.

“Do you miss it?” Yahiko asks quietly.

“Huh?”

“Being in Akatsuki.”

Nagato sets his food down, looking at Yahiko. “You know it was something I did because I didn’t know what else to do.”

Yahiko knows this is true, too. Nagato killed because it was his job. Because he was good at it, and that was the easiest way he saw to make money. He didn’t have a lust for blood, for conquest, to torture his victims in delight, unlike Konan and many other well-known killers like Haku of Kiri no Nanaken.

Nagato killed because he had been killing all his life and didn’t know what else to do, didn’t know another way to live.

Until he met Yahiko.

“Why are you looking all gloomy? You know I chose this, right? I want to be with you.”

“Nagato…”

There’s a hand at his cheek, cupping his face. “That limelight. Those riches and power. You know they didn’t matter to me. I told you, before I had met you, I was like a robot functioning day to day on drugs, alcohol, sex, and bloody bodies. I was nothing more than an empty shell. You gave my life a new meaning, Yahiko.”

Yahiko sniffs, trying to crack a grin and punches the other on the shoulder lightly to hide how touched he is. “Stop it, you sweet-talker!”

The other man chuckles. “No, I mean it.”

Yahiko’s eyes soften, dropping his head to rest on Nagato’s shoulder. “I know,” he murmurs.

A few moments of silence pass by until Nagato speaks again. “Yahiko... there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Yahiko lifts his head and stares at the other man in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re... happy, right?”

“Of course we are.”

Nagato nods. “We can live like normal people now, thanks to Kakashi for convincing Minato that we were no longer interested in the mafia business, and that all we wanted was a simple life. When the court ruled Obito, Minato kept his promise of no longer pursuing us, too. That’s how we are able to live as free men, now.”

Yahiko keeps quiet, waiting for the other man to continue.

“You know that Kakashi and Obito love each other, right?”

Yahiko does.

He knows that Kakashi loves Obito, and vice versa. The memory of Kakashi crying his heart out, ready to jump after Obito when the man fell off the building in Ame eight months ago is still vivid in his mind. At that moment, Yahiko saw how much Obito truly meant to Kakashi—that Kakashi wouldn’t have been able to go on living had Obito died from that fall, much like how Yahiko had felt when he saw Nagato put the muzzle on his own temple back at Kamui.

It might make no sense to other people—how much Kakashi loves Obito when the man was the reason why his life was ruined at a very young age, but who’s Yahiko to judge when he’s pretty much in the same situation?

Obito was so much more difficult to read that Nagato with how manipulative he was, but it’s probably because Kakashi has never hidden anything from him regarding his relationship with Obito, that Yahiko can see things from Kakashi’s standpoint, too. He knows Obito’s feelings for Kakashi were—are never a lie.

Taking Yahiko’s silence as an answer, Nagato continues, “There’s something I want to do... for both of them. But I won’t do it if you don’t like it.”

Yahiko tilts his head. “Something for them? Aren’t they happy, too, now? Kakashi sounds happy whenever we talk on the phone.”

“And how long do you think it will stay that way?”

Yahiko looks at the other man in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Konan... She’s back.”

Yahiko widens his eyes. “How do you know?”

Nagato lowers his gaze, guilt dousing his countenance in that instance. “Kisame told me.”

“You’re still in contact with Kisa—wait,” something clicks in Yahiko’s mind. “What happened in Ame, Obito—he’d had it planned out beforehand, hadn’t he?”

Nagato nods his head. “Obito had known that Konan was going to betray him—that she was working with a cop—and he had wanted to use her and let himself get captured, but it didn’t exactly go according to plan.”

“He had known that Konan was working with Orochimaru?”

Nagato shrugs. “He had no idea that Orochimaru was the son of someone he had killed, and wanted to take revenge, though. None of us did. Konan and I only found out when Kakashi mentioned about the child soldier program, too.”

Yahiko should’ve known—Nagato has his own codes. He isn’t the type to play dirty or cheat like Konan, Deidara, Sasori, and most of the Akatsuki members. He simply uses his insurmountable strength and skills to overpower anyone. He either kills them or they kill him, no need for petty tricks.

He should’ve gotten the alarm when he found out Nagato conspired with Konan to hand Obito over to the Salamander, because―how can that be a thing? When he was the member who’d been there the longest in Akatsuki along with Kisame and Itachi, and gods know those two are unflinchingly, almost maniacally, loyal to Obito.

Just as there is no way Nagato will ever not love Yahiko, there is also no way Nagato would ever betray Obito, not with his personality.

He’s been smitten with Yahiko since that day he saw him at the club, so many years ago. He’s still in love with Yahiko.

Yahiko knows what type of person Nagato is.

He’s loyal. The type to stay faithful.

Loyal and faithful to Yahiko, his one and only love, and loyal and faithful, too, to the person who had built up Akatsuki and turned it into something much bigger and grandiose than anyone could’ve ever imagined, who had treated him well all this time.

The one who had given Nagato free reign to do anything he wished ever since he had taken command. The one who allowed a no-name like Yahiko to be an Elite just because Nagato recommended so. The one who never pushed Nagato to do anything he didn’t want to, unlike the old boss.

The one who let Nagato go when he wanted out of the mafia, no questions asked. The one who didn’t hunt after them for the betrayal unlike what other mafia bosses would do.

Nagato is the honorable, straightforward type who treats someone exactly like how they’ve treated him.

This means Nagato is loyal to Obito, and Yahiko can’t believe he didn’t notice it until now. Didn’t put all the pieces together.

Yahiko sighs as he watches Nagato, the man still refusing to meet his eyes as if he’s betrayed Yahiko’s trust.

“What are you going to do?” he finally asks.

“...I need to stop Konan. Whatever she’s planning to do, it can’t be anything good. Kisame is loyal to Obito, but he wants Kakashi to be happy, too. And I know how much Kakashi’s happiness means to you, so if you’ll let me, I would like to do this favor for them.”

Yahiko bites his lip, unsure of what to say. On one hand, it doesn’t feel right, for Nagato to go back to doing dirty work when they finally have a peaceful, normal life. But on the other hand, he doesn’t trust Konan either. Obito isn’t a good person—far from it—but at least he and Kakashi love each other.

“I want Kakashi to be happy, too—to live a peaceful life.” Yahiko trails off. “God knows he deserves that more than anyone after everything he’s been through. And I know Obito is the only one who can make him truly happy. But can I really trust Obito? After all, even if it didn’t work out, he had wanted to deceive Kakashi, hadn’t he?”

It’s Nagato’s turn to bite on his lip. “That’s true, and I shouldn’t have agreed to it. But... Obito—I could tell he would’ve given up on Akatsuki for Kakashi if it had been the price he had to pay. And I knew how much Akatsuki meant to him. All he’d wanted was for him and Kakashi to be together, but Kakashi wouldn’t have been truly happy then—he would’ve been tormented by his conscience, so—“

“So, he’d wanted to make it seem like he’d paid for his crimes so Kakashi would no longer feel guilty for staying with him even after everything he’d done,” Yahiko finishes it for him.

Nagato nods reluctantly. “He wasn’t the type who would do even a small favor for just anyone, but when it came to Kakashi, he wouldn’t hesitate to put his own life on the line. It was fucked up, but he was in love with Kakashi—or whatever you would call it.”

It was fucked up—the lengths Obito would go just to keep Kakashi by his side, and Yahiko should feel alarmed, but he himself honestly can’t think of a better alternative. Knowing Kakashi, even if he somehow managed to gather enough evidence to put Obito in jail, he would probably live the rest of his life with crushing guilt as Obito would definitely receive either a death penalty or life imprisonment. _We are all so fucked up,_ he sighs to himself.

“If you don’t want—“

“Let’s do it,” Yahiko says, cutting Nagato off. “Let’s do them a favor.”

☩

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Kakashi blinks, eyes snapping to Obito beside him who has a concerned expression on his face.

“You just look… deep in thoughts, ever since you’ve gotten home. Like you’re torn about something.”

“Ah, it’s nothing…” Kakashi closes the book he was reading since he can’t focus anyways. “Just… work-related stuff.”

“Work-related stuff?”

“Confidential information,” Kakashi singsongs, sticking his tongue out.

The other only chuckles. “I doubt it’s truly work-related. Not in the cases-sense.”

Kakashi lifts his head up in surprise. “How do you know?”

“Because, if you were worried for a case, you’d be buried in paperworks the whole time you’re home, staying up all night to drown yourself in documents with a permanent frown on your face,” Obito explains, poking an index finger between his eyebrows, where the crease of line would be if he was frowning. “But you’re not. Instead, you’re just, spacing out.”

Kakashi tilts his head. “You have good observation skills.”

“Don’t have much of a choice when you’re all I can observe unless I wanna study how the hand on the clock ticks round every second, hmn?”

Immediately, something churns in his stomach, and he blurts out, “Sorry,” even though this isn’t really his fault.

Obito seems to think the same way. “What are you sorry for? Isn’t this my past self’s fault?”

“Yeah, but…” Kakashi drops his head, staring at his lap.

“Hey, don’t look so down,” Obito says softly, a palm cupping his cheek to lift his face up. “Now tell me what’s been bothering you.”

“It’s…” Kakashi hesitates, not sure if he should tell Obito that he’s been thinking about what will happen to them now that the six-month duration of the latter’s house arrest is almost over. Will everything stay the way it is now? “I... don’t really want to talk about it.”

Obito keeps his gaze on Kakashi, but his face is undecipherable, like he’s contemplating something. “I see…”

“Obito?”

At this, the other gives him a cordial smile. “Nothing. I hope things work out for you.”

 _Me too,_ Kakashi thinks gloomily. He’s too caught up in his thoughts he doesn’t notice the other coming closer until there are lips ghosting his neck. “Obito?”

“You seem stressed,” the older man simply murmurs against his skin, making him shiver. “Let me help you relax, okay?”

“Relax… Haaa―” Kakashi lets out a moan as Obito nips on a sensitive spot behind his ear. There’s a hand slipping inside his shirt, fingers roaming against bare skin, hot heat rising where they touch. “Wait―”

“Why?” Obito asks nonchalantly, sliding down to mouth at his nipple through the thin fabric of his shirt. “You obviously need some destressing. Let me help you.”

The man’s free hand drifts down to tug on his pajama pants, and Kakashi shivers when his cock is exposed in the air. “Look at you, you’re hard already,” Obito gloats, wrapping sure fingers around it leisurely.

“Obito…” Kakashi breathes when the other slithers down, a hand tilting Kakashi backward until his head rests on the armrest of the couch, leaving him to stare haphazardly up at Obito.

“Just lie back and enjoy,” the older says, grinning at him as he nudges at the back of Kakashi’s thighs, pushing them up and backward until his knees hit his shoulders. “Now be a good boy and keep those legs spread for me, hmn?”

“Good boy…” Kakashi parrots unconsciously as he obediently clasps hands around the back of his knees, holding them up for the other man.

“Oh? Does hearing praises like ‘good boy’ turn you on, Kakashi?” Obito quirks an eyebrow, smirking at him.

“N―No,” Kakashi protests until Obito bends down to scrape his teeth against his thigh, threatening to break skin. “Obito―”

The other man chooses that moment to suck a bruise into his inner thigh, and Kakashi feels his legs trembling with the effort to hold them up over his chest. Then, the man trails down, planting little kisses across his skin until he reaches where Kakashi’s legs connect.

“Obito…” Kakashi gasps, blinking blearily down as the older gives him a smirk. He closes his eyes, thinking that he’s finally going to get that much needed touch to his cock, that Obito will give him a blowjob, but―

The other drifts down past his member, down and Kakashi finds his mouth open in a soundless gasp when he feels something wet licking him there.

“Oh my god, Obito…” Kakashi breathes out, looking at the other man with shaky eyes and fingers curling as he feels a tongue dabbing a circle around his rim, softening the muscles clenching there, before pushing in.

And it’s not―this isn’t something new. They've done this before, but that has been so long ago, and he’s almost forgotten how different it is with a tongue inside him instead of a finger, or a cock. Even a toy. It’s sort of agonizing in a delicious kind of way, and Kakashi finds himself panting already, sweat beading down his temples just from how _good_ it feels.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Kakashi whimpers softly as Obito continues to tonguefuck him. His body feels like it’s been set ablaze even without the hot muscle being able to reach his prostate.

The other man must’ve known what he was thinking, or―something―for he starts adding a finger in along with his tongue, and Kakashi throws his head back, fingernails digging into his own thighs as the digit reaches deeper inside his crevices, prodding at his sweet spot, knowing just where to touch to drive him mad.

“Ah, wait, I’m gonna come―”

“Then come,” the other says, voice raspy when he pulls back, tonguing his puffy rim while he adds two more fingers inside, destination sure as they slide past his slick walls easily, moistened by his saliva earlier, and rubbing right on that spot that never fails to make him see white.

“Haaa―”

“Come, Kakashi,” the man continues to murmur, voice low and thick with something―want, lust, need―”Come for me, baby. You’re going to be a good boy for me, right? Going to listen well?”

“Yes, yes, I will,” Kakashi mumbles mindlessly, his fingernails most likely pricking his own thighs from the tight grip he’s had on them, but he’s too far gone to notice, “I’m good for you―”

“You’re good for me, hmn?”

“Yes―”

“Then come,” the other growls out, ruthlessly thrusting all three of his fingers against Kakashi’s prostate at once, and Kakashi lets out a choked gasp, vision hazing out as he sees the blurry face of the man before him, above him, eyes dark and dangerous with a hint of a wicked smirk on his lips, and―

―and this sight is so familiar, so familiar―

―he’s seen this hundreds of time before, him beneath this man, submitting, being a good boy for him―

―and in the last moment, with his mind blanking out and all thoughts lost, the last word his throat manages to push past his lips is, “Obito―”

And then he comes, splattering murky liquid all over himself, blackening out for a moment.

When he comes to, his first thought is to hide in embarrassment because he just released without his cock ever having been touched at all, until…

Until he notices Obito is still looking at him, eyes glinting and lips curved dangerously.

“So, this is how we did it in the past, huh?”

☩

She’d let her guard down.

In all honesty, this was her fault. She’d been careful those first few months, even remaining in Ame to keep any tailers off her. Remained hidden. But months passed and she was getting anxious again. Anxious for what had been going on in Konoha.

What had happened between Akatsuki and the police.

How Kakashi had been doing.

So she’d come back. And continued to keep herself hidden for two months now. Had quietly watched over him.

Had quietly seethed seeing Kakashi falling into his trap, again.

But she had to bide for her time. Needed to think of a plan. After all, her opponent wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

But the more time passed, the less guarded she became. Thought no one would be able to track her down, come to her hiding place.

Shot her when she didn’t expect it.

“What’s the matter, Konan? Don’t tell me you’re down already after one measly shot in the shoulder?”

Konan grits her teeth, hand clenched onto the gun on her uninjured side. If she hadn’t dodged in time, the bullet would’ve pierced her through the chest.

“You’re not going to hide from me, are you? That’s not like you, at all.”

“It’s not like you to do this, either!” Konan retorts. “What do you have to gain from going after me? I thought you were―done with this life―”

“I am, but this is a favor.”

“A favor?” Konan repeats, eyes dawning in realization. “From―From Obito? Obito sent you to do this?”

“He didn’t, but yes, I’m doing a favor for Obito.”

“You’re still working for Obito? What the fuck? I thought you were―” Konan’s mind is running amok, trying to piece everything together from the few, but vital, information she’s just been given. “Shit, you fooled us all along? You were never―You pretended―”

“A favor,” the other maintains, shrugging. “I don’t have anything against you, I assure you.”

“And does your loverboy know about this favor?”

“Oh, he does, so you don’t need to concern yourself. We are doing this for Obito and Kakashi.”

“Oh jesus,” she marvels, cackling with glee. “For Kakashi? Does he even know?”

“You can say whatever you want, Konan, but you can’t deny the fact that Kakashi loves Obito. And I know you won’t stop until you get what you want, so I’m sorry, you have to die.”

“It’s because he’s been brainwashed by Obito!” Konan snarls. “So you lied to everyone and pretended you were a good guy when you really aren’t?”

“I never said I was a good guy. None of us are good guys. We can’t be, after all we’ve been through.”

Konan concurs, but. “But I thought you’ve decided to change yourself after knowing Yahiko! So why are you still working for Obito?”

“I was! I am,” the man corrects himself. “But like I said, this is a favor. Obito spared me and Yahiko when we decided to leave even when it cost Akatsuki a great deal. We owe him this. It’s―”

“―Loyalty,” Konan finishes for him, cursing. That is the problem. Obito has the uncanny ability to sway all people he’s recruited to be undyingly loyal to him.

Heck, if Obito hadn’t been the one who had ruined Kakashi, who had become someone very important to Konan, Konan would still be the same way.

Faithfully loyal. Unable to turn down anything Obito’s requested.

“As I said,” Nagato replies, “You don’t need to concern yourself. My business with Yahiko, like my business with Obito, has nothing do with you. I just need to do this one thing for Obito, and that’s that. You would understand how I feel if you weren’t a traitor, Konan!”

Konan clenches her teeth, throwing herself to the side when Nagato fires, bullet narrowingly missing her.

“Maybe you wouldn’t be so inclined to still be so loyal to Obito if he hurt Yahiko!” Konan counters, shouting as she leaps from one spot to another while bullets relentlessly pursue her. “You’ve known and seen the shit he’s done to Kakashi! I can’t be loyal to him when Kakashi will keep getting hurt as long as Obito’s alive! He won’t let Kakashi go!”

“I also can see how in love Kakashi is with Obito,” Nagato tells her, raining bullets down onto Konan, the noises echoing deafeningly on the warehouse walls. “You think Kakashi would want this? Maybe he doesn’t want to be saved!”

“I don’t fucking care, I’m going to save him anyways!” Konan snaps, using all her strength to move her left arm, the injured side, and throwing a dagger past all the bullets, slashing Nagato in the wrist, knocking the gun out of his hand.

“You’ve always had the most precise aim in Akatsuki,” Nagato rasps, clutching his wrist as the blood starts pooling out. “You aren’t named the second-best killer for nothing. But don’t forget, you are only ever second to someone else.”

Nagato whips both hands inside his blazer to take out twin guns, one in each hand, and Konan curses. She is skilled with a gun, but Nagato is the best at it―able to dual-wield guns in both hands at once. Able to shoot down an entire room filled with dozens of men in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s see if your reflexes are better, or my skills,” Nagato states before open firing.

It’s like trying to dodge a torrent of water coming at you―like trying to keep yourself from getting wet as a tsunami floods down on you.

You can’t.

But Konan damn well tries. Keeps rolling herself away, not stopping even as she feels a few bullets hitting her square in the stomach, blood spurting out and staining her clothes and the dirty floor.

She bites down hard on her lip, surging through all the pain as she takes out a bomb hidden inside her jacket, and throws it towards Nagato.

Smoke bomb. Immediately, the entire warehouse is cloaked in white mist, and Konan uses that opportunity to escape.

She only has one destination in mind.

☩

Kakashi walks home, sighing.

Work hasn’t been particularly difficult today, but there is something else that has weighed on his mind.

The way Obito looked at him last night. The way the slow spread of a pleased smile on Obito’s lips, and how he found himself shuddering, because of how familiar the sight was.

It’s happened countless times before.

With the old Obito.

Is the old Obito slowly bleeding into this new Obito? Is Obito slowly reverting back to his past self?

Or is it―

With all these thoughts swirling erratically inside his mind, Kakashi doesn’t even notice when a hand shoots out and pulls him backward, into a dark alleyway off the street.

Before he’s about to elbow the stranger in the stomach and instinctively defend himself, there is already a voice speaking, barely above a whisper.

“Kakashi, it’s me.”

Kakashi gasps, spinning around to look at his captor. “Konan! What are you doing here? You’ve gone missing since―Oh my god.”

Kakashi’s eyes widen in horror when he takes in the crimson drenching the woman’s lower-half body, the metallic, nauseating smell beginning to make its way into his nose.

“You’re bleeding―” When he brushes frantic fingers at Konan’s stomach, he cringes at how wet it comes out―blood is still pouring out from the other. It’s fresh. And at this rate, she is going to die from blood loss if she isn’t bandaged properly to stop the blood flow.

“We need to get you to a hospital―”

“No hospital,” Konan states firmly. “No one can know where I am.”

“Fine. Then let’s get you inside my apartment so I can at least bandage you and stop the bleeding―”

“Not your apartment. Obito is there. And Obito can’t know about me.”

“Konan!” Kakashi exclaims, frustrated. “Now is not the time for this! I don’t know if you know, but he’s lost his memories. He wouldn’t even know who you are! And we need to worry about your stomach bleeding out first!”

“I don’t care!” Konan shouts back, then instantly coughs out blood, which only adds to Kakashi’s panic. “I’m not going anywhere with you, unless you promise me one thing.”

“What is it?” Kakashi rushes out, eager to just help Konan.

“Promise me you will never tell Obito about this. Keep this a secret from him. We need to go somewhere only you and I, alone. No one else.”

Kakashi looks at her worriedly, watching how blood keeps pouring down onto the ground from Konan’s wound, and how pale the latter’s face is getting. She is going to die if there isn’t anything being done soon.

“Okay,” Kakashi exhales, agreeing. “I promise not to say anything to Obito. Now come with me. We’ll go some place secluded so I can treat you.”

When Kakashi takes Konan’s hand, leading her away, he misses the small smirk on the woman’s face, hidden by the darkness of the night.

☩

Kakashi ties the knot together, making sure it’s tight around the torso which in turn has Konan let out a slight hiss.

“This is a haphazard job,” he tells her. “The bleeding has stopped but I’d need some kind of ointment to disinfect it. I have it at home, let me go and get it―”

Konan grabs onto his wrist when he makes to stand up. “Kakashi.”

He sits back down onto the dirty table. They’re in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, some distances away from his apartment. “Yeah?”

“How have you been?” Kakashi blinks when Konan gently brushes a stray strand of hair covering his eye to the side. “You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.”

“Well, considering the last time we saw each other was when I got beaten black and blue by Orochimaru,” he snorts.

“Yeah,” Konan gives a smile.

“Were you just in hiding all these months?” Kakashi asks, peering at her curiously.

“Mnn… I was in Ame. I didn’t want to get involved in the mess, you know? I knew you were okay, and that was all that mattered to me.”

“Oh…” Kakashi shifts awkwardly. “So, umn…”

“I’m so glad you seem to be doing well,” Konan continues, voice soft and eyes warm when she stares at Kakashi. “I had wanted to come to you sooner, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. I really missed you, you know…”

“Konan, you know I don’t like you like that...”

The woman doesn’t seem to be surprised, and only murmurs, “Because you still love him?”

Kakashi only keeps quiet.

A sigh. “It’s not like I’m forcing you to love me,” she confesses, “but I just want you safe and happy, Kakashi.”

“I am. Safe and happy.”

Konan flashes him a look, eyes somber. “Who do you think did this to me?”

Kakashi lowers his gaze to the various wounds in the other’s stomach, freshly bandaged by him. “I don’t know, Konan. You were―are?―an assassin. I’m sure you have a lot of enemies.”

“Who do you think I am?” the other retorts, making a noise of disbelief. “I am Konan, one of the best of the best killers in the underworld. I don’t leave a job unfinished, Kakashi. If I take out someone, I make sure to take out everyone relating to that person so there won’t be a chance of his family or friends coming for me to avenge him. I am good at what I do. I leave no bodies unaccounted for and seeds unplanted.”

Kakashi cringes as he hears the other speak. He already knows that this is just the way the mafia world works, and Konan has always been an immoral person all along, but… It’s hard to put the two sides together when the woman has always been nice―if a bit creepy―towards him.

“Everyone that I’ve angered enough to want to hurt me, I've already killed,” he continues. “Except one. Do you know who that is, Kakashi?”

Kakashi jerks his head up at her. “No…”

Konan gives him a pointed look. “Who do you think hates me enough to want to kill me and has enough power to do so?”

“Konan―”

“Dammit, Kakashi. Who do you think would possibly want me dead aside from Obito?”

Kakashi flattens his lips. “You’re saying Obito did this to you? He’s under house arrest.”

“No, I’m saying Obito ordered his fucking henchman to do this for him!”

“Well, he could’ve ordered them way back before, but they couldn’t track you down until now because you were in Ame!”

“No, I am saying Obito is a goddamn snake and he still has you fooled!”

“Fooled? Fooled for what?”

Konan raises an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

Kakashi doesn’t flinch. “No… How do you explain everything that’s happened, then? We both saw him fall off the ten story building. And that was because Orochimaru pushed him! How would he plan all that? You were the one who had conspired with Orochimaru―”

At this, Konan huffs. “I haven’t figured out the exact logistics yet,” she admits. “But I’m telling you, Obito isn’t all that he seems! He’s trying to act all nice to you now but it’s all an act!”

“Obito being nice to me is never an act…” he frowns at her. “He has always treated me nicely, because he loves me…”

“Kakashi!” Konan shouts, shaking him angrily. “Look at you! It’s like you’ve been hypnotized and deluded by him! How do you not see this?”

Kakashi does. He sees. He knows he’s been so ruined by Obito that his mind is probably all sorts of fucked up, too, but―

He’s long gone past the point of convincing himself that he would ever want to get out of this―

“I understand that you have… feelings for me, Konan,” Kakashi starts, trying to control his breathing. “And that you hate Obito because I love him, but… You shouldn’t defame him thinking I’ll hate him if so.”

“I’m not defaming him―It’s true―”

“Then where is your proof?” Kakashi shoots back. “Where is the proof that Obito had everything planned out when you guys were the ones that started this and wanted to kill him in the first place? How could he have known what you guys were up to, back then? How could he let himself fall down a ten story building and almost died? How could the doctors diagnose him to have head-trauma that resulted in amnesia? Tell me, Konan!”

“I…” Konan doesn’t continue her sentence, because she can’t. She has no idea either. “Okay, maybe he wasn’t lying about everything, but—“

Kakashi inhales, calming himself down. “I’m going to go home to get the ointment. I’ll be back later to treat your wound. Stay here and rest, Konan.”

With that, he walks away, leaving the woman behind, eyes glaring wildly at the dirty floor beneath her feet.

☩

It takes twenty minutes to walk back home. Kakashi curses himself for still not knowing how to drive.

“Kakashi!” Obito stands up as soon as he spots Kakashi walking in. “You’re late! What hap―Oh god, are you bleeding?”

Kakashi looks down at his crimson-smeared hands, and shakes his head. “No, this is someone else’s blood. Had a nasty job today. You know how I deal with criminals daily as part of the CID.”

“Hmn…” Obito hums lightly, guiding him towards the kitchen sink to wash his hands. “Is this why you were late?”

“Yeah… Sorry, I should’ve called you, but forgot. Were you worried?”

“Of course,” Obito answers. “You know my world only revolves around you now. I feel so lost whenever you’re away at work.”

Kakashi glances at the other. Normally, he’d feel his heart fluttering at the words, but… this time, it only makes his heart clench, that Obito is stuck here 24/7, unable to do a thing or even take one step outside.

Why would anyone want to put themselves through this? If Obito really is pretending like Konan said, then… Why would he do this? The big, bad boss Obito of Akatsuki, willingly be placed under house arrest for six months? For what?

For―

“Kakashi?”

“Ah, sorry.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately, spacing out,” the other points out. “Things weighing your mind?”

“Mnn…”

“Does it have anything to do with me?” he asks as they walk back to the living room.

“A bit…”

“Like… what?”

Kakashi gazes at him silently. Obito only has a small, confused smile on his face, awaiting him.

“What? Why are you just staring at me? Do you want a kiss? Is that it?”

Kakashi laughs lightly. “You wish.”

“No, you wish,” the other singsongs before capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. Kakashi finds himself melting at the familiar sensation of Obito licking into his mouth.

“Obito…” he pants breathily when they break. “Obito, you love me, right?”

“Of course.”

“You… would do a lot of things for me, right?”

“Hmn?”

Kakashi keeps their eyes steadily locked onto each other’s when he says, “You would do a lot of things, to have me, right?”

“What…?”

“Would you do anything to have me in your arms?” _Like giving up on Akatsuki,_ he adds internally, _or letting yourself go through a near-death experience―_

“Kakashi―”

“He would do a lot of things for you,” a third voice resounds, breaking the two out of their moment to look in the direction of the entrance.

“Konan―” Kakashi gasps, stumbling forward in shock. “What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! I actually had two versions of ending planned when I started writing this fic:  
> 1\. Obito and Kakashi starting a new life together with Obito having no memories of his past self (the police won’t be able to charge him with anything unless he commits a crime during his house arrest, which is unlikely, like Kakashi said above). It’s a lighter and happier version of the two, but given how twisted this fic is, such a cute ending wouldn’t be fitting, right? lol  
> 2\. The more... complicated version.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the two consecutive cliffhangers. I thought it was obvious Obito was going to live haha. Also someone had probably guessed this already, but yeah Obito knew Konan was going to betray him. He came prepared (which was why the police couldn’t find any evidence for the court to penalize him with a harsher sentence). Nagato never betrayed Obito. However, Obito is a realist, like he said, he was aware there were chances, no matter how small, that he wouldn’t make it, thus the heartfelt talk in the abandoned warehouse. In case anyone was wondering, he didn’t say all those things to get Kakashi’s sympathy, he didn’t need to. At that moment, he just thought that if he had to die, he wanted to at least let Kakashi know that the reason why he couldn’t give Kakashi a ‘normal’ relationship wasn’t because he wasn’t sincere about his feelings, or that he only saw Kakashi as a toy. Given his fucked up upbringing, it would take a literal miracle for him to have a 180-degree change in personality.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter. Sorry it took longer than usual lol

“Konan―” Kakashi gasps, stumbling forward in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“I have known him for a long time,” Konan continues, ignoring his question. “Not just me, but I think… pretty much anyone can admit, even Itachi, that Obito would do a lot for you.”

“Kakashi, who is that? Your friend?” Obito asks, puzzled.

“Ah…”

“He would do a lot to keep you by his side,” Konan pushes through, uncaring as she walks closer. “And that is precisely why he’s no good for you. And I’m going to make you see it.”

“Konan, what―” Kakashi trails off when the woman, in the blink of an eye, pulls Kakashi towards her and has her left arm around his neck, a dagger gleaming precariously next to his throat in warning.

“Kakashi!” Obito shouts.

“Konan, what are you doing?” Kakashi asks warily, trying to tilt his head to look at her but the position won’t let him.

“I’m going to show you,” is the reply Konan gives. Then, to Kakashi’s dread, she pulls out a gun with her right hand, and aiming it straight ahead―at Obito.

“I know this is all an act, Uchiha Obito,” she calls out. “You don’t think I can see through your tricks? Itachi may be smart, but he is not _you_. In fact, not many are fond of him being the one in charge of Akatsuki, right now. The Elites are only loyal to you. And without Nagato and me, Akatsuki will crumble in no time. You expect me to believe you’re okay with that? The almost five years I trailed after you like a lost little puppy… You may fool Kakashi, but you can’t fool me!”

Obito looks even more puzzled, as if not understanding a word Konan has just said. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but if my former self did something wrong against you, I apologize. But let Kakashi go―”

“No, I will not let Kakashi go back to you!” Konan snaps. “Now what will you do? I know you excel at hand-to-hand combat along with gun usage, but… Will your supposedly amnesiac self remember this? Or will you just watch Kakashi get taken away by me?”

“Konan, this is madness―” Kakashi tries to say. He really doesn’t want to fight the other. He knows Konan won’t hurt him even if there’s a dagger at his throat, so he’s not really afraid right now, but…

“Yes, it’s madness, how much Obito has you under his spell,” Konan agrees, narrowing her eyes. “You deserve better, Kakashi. You deserve―”

Kakashi lets out a noise of surprise when the fingers at his throat dig into his skin, tilting him forcefully sideways so that Konan can claim his lips in a kiss.

Before Kakashi can retaliate, frozen in shock, the other is already pulling back, her tongue giving one last swipe across Kakashi’s bottom lip wetly. “So…” Konan says, looking ahead.

Kakashi jerks his head back only to see a dark expression on Obito’s face, the man staring at them ominously.

“If you’re not going to do anything, Uchiha Obito,” Konan says, tone mocking at the last two words, “then I’m going to take Kakashi away from you.”

“You…” Obito growls, taking a step forward.

“Except I won’t be so careless this time,” Konan finishes, and Kakashi can only watch in horror when Konan raises her right hand up, pulling the trigger and shooting Obito directly in the chest, blood spurting out and drenching his shirt in an instant.

“Bye. You need to die so Kakashi can be free,” Konan says blankly.

“No… No…” Kakashi breathes, watching Obito’s body falling forward in almost slow-motion. At the last second, however, the other man braces one feet onto the ground, a hand on his knee to hold himself up as the other clutches at the open wound on his chest.

“Still alive after that shot?” Konan murmurs, voice slick and dangerous. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you are Obito after all. I’m sure you’ve been through worse.”

“Let… Kakashi… go…” Obito pants, glaring up at Konan, and Kakashi doesn’t know how to feel, that Obito still worries about him at a time like this instead of himself.

“Still trying to keep up that act?” the assassin spits out. Her grip around Kakashi’s throat tightens, rendering the latter gasping for air for a moment, keeping him occupied as her other hand pulls on the trigger again.

“Nooo―!” Kakashi screams, uncaring that the blade is digging into his neck, slicing through his skin as he jerks forward, a hand reaching out but to no avail. All he can do is watch helplessly when another bullet imbeds itself into Obito’s body, ricocheting through the air and sending the man’s body flying backward. His head crashes into the glass coffee table from behind, and Kakashi stares in horror as not only Obito’s body is gushing blood profusely, but his head now is, too.

There are streaks of red sliding from Obito’s forehead down his cheek, his jawline, dripping onto his already stained clothes below, as the man’s eyes drift shut, head lolling onto the edge of the table.

Kakashi doesn’t even know if the other has passed out or if he’s even breathing at all―

“Well, that’s that,” Konan concludes, dropping her right hand with the still-smoking gun. “Now―”

Kakashi uses the distraction to slam an elbow right into the woman’s stomach, knocking her backward before leaping forward, trying to get closer to Obito.

“Kakashi―”

Immediately, Kakashi reaches into the holster secured on the waist at the back of his police uniform, and points the gun directly at Konan. “Don’t test me, Konan.”

“Dammit, Kakashi―”

Whatever else Konan is about to say gets drowned out by the sudden siren blasting through the air.

The police are here.

“Fuck! Why the hell―”

“You think nobody would call the cops after they heard two gunshots coming from my apartment?” Kakashi retorts, his free hand sliding up Obito’s body to test his breathing.

The other is, but it’s so faint… Like his lungs can give out at any moment and stop―

The siren is only getting louder, signaling the arrival of the cars stationing at the entrance to the complex.

“Fuck―”

“Go!” Kakashi yells, eyes on Konan.

“What?”

“There’s a fire escape at the back of this floor. If you go now you might still have a chance to dodge the police and escape.”

“I’m not leaving without you―”

“I’m doing this out of the last goodwill of my heart for you, Konan,” Kakashi sucks in a breath, trying not to panic for Obito since he has to deal with Konan first. “Either you leave now or I’ll use this gun to kill myself, and then you can face the police with two dead bodies in the apartment!”

“Kakashi, why are you doing this―”

“I’m not leaving with you!” Kakashi screams when he can hear rumblings from downstairs―no doubt the police making their way up. “Go! You don’t want to go to jail, do you? That’s why you’ve been hiding out in Ame, right? Don’t let all your work go to waste! I’m telling you this because I still have good feelings for you, and I don’t want you to be captured, either!”

Konan looks at the door to the apartment, the sounds getting louder and louder, then back at Kakashi, sees how his hand on the gun is trembling, but there’s a resolute look inside his eyes, and she curses.

“Fine!” she snaps. “But know this isn’t over yet! I will be back for you, I swear―”

“No!” Kakashi glares at her. “I don’t want to go with you Konan. I don’t want to be with anyone other than Obito and I don’t care if it’s ruining me! So if you really have my best interests at heart, you’ll leave this instant and never come back.”

“Kakashi! You—“

“Go!” Kakashi shouts. “Stop living for others, Konan. I don’t need you to save me. Go and live your life—for yourself this time. Be happy. You deserve that, too.”

Konan stares at him with wide eyes for a moment before she flattens her lips. She doesn’t say anything and runs past him towards the kitchen, escaping through the windows there, and Kakashi finally drops his gun limply in a moment of reprieve.

Until he turns back to Obito, and feels tears forming inside his eyes again as he takes in how absolutely battered the other looks.

“No, please don’t die on me,” Kakashi whispers, a palm wiping the blood caked on his face away, uncaring of how it stains his own hand in the process. “Please, Obito, please…”

It’s only a few seconds later that the police bust through the door to see Kakashi holding a bloody Obito inside his arms.

☩

Kakashi sits on a chair, gazing at the man lying on the bed sadly.

Obito had been transported to the hospital and underwent various surgeries. After a whole night of Kakashi waiting outside the emergency doors, praying silently, the other’s body had stabilized enough to get transferred into a room in the intensive care unit.

Now, all he can do is wait.

Wait for the man to wake up.

If he will ever wake up, at all.

Kakashi can feel a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “He’s going to make it,” he hears Minato say, but the tone is too hopeful for it to sound like an assurance. The older man had immediately rushed to the hospital this morning after Kakashi told him that Obito had gotten shot. “He has to.”

 _He has to_ , Kakashi echoes in is mind, too tired to physically say it out loud.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Minato breathes, voice cracking slightly. “I wish I had been stronger. He was trained to be an assassin throughout his entire childhood while I just sat there dwindling my thumb, dreading when our father would assign me my next victim to kill. You know, when he murdered our father, I probably thanked him for it, silently, in the depths of my cowardly heart.” A bitter laugh. “I wouldn’t have had the courage to pursue my dream of becoming a cop if our father had been alive, then.”

Kakashi can hardly register half of the words Minato is saying. His attention is on the unconsious man lying on the bed before him.

He can’t believe he has to relive this nightmare all over again.

He could barely make it through the last time he had to watch Obito in a coma, waiting helplessly for him to wake up.

“Please…” Kakashi whispers, both hands clutching onto Obito’s limp one, bringing it up to his lips in a silent prayer. “Please wake up… I can’t do this… I can’t go through this again…”

Kakashi doesn’t know if he can take it if, after having gone through the miracle of Obito waking up from a coma almost seven months ago, only for the other to die right before his eyes now.

If Obito dies, Kakashi isn’t sure if he can continue living, at all.

That’s how fucked up he has become.

But he doesn’t even care anymore.

All he cares about is Obito being alive―

“Please…” he chokes out, nuzzling his cheek into the cold palm of Obito’s in his grip. “Please wake up… I’ll do anything for you to wake up… Just please… don’t die… don’t leave me…”

“I’m sorry, Kakashi.” Minato’s voice is shaky now, and so is the hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. “I’m still so powerless, even now. I wish I could take you both away from here. I’m so sorry.”

Only the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor answer to their pleadings.

☩

Kakashi doesn’t know how long he’s been asleep, but given that he practically lives in the hospital the past three weeks, it all blurs eventually.

His cheek is squished against the bed, half-leaning from his position on the chair, and his two hands are still clutching onto Obito’s own, even unconsciously, during sleep.

But it’s because of that, that Kakashi is able to feel the slightest movement inside his palms, nudging him awake.

“Nnn…” Kakashi blinks blearily, intending to detach one hand to rub at his still sleepy eyes, when he feels it again.

The smallest of movement.

Kakashi feels his breath caught in his throat when he looks down to see Obito on the bed, eyes open and watching him quietly.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi stutters, unable to believe his eyes. After almost a month, the other man has finally woken up―

The older tries for a smile, and says, “Hi, Kakashi,” and Kakashi doesn’t think he’s ever heard of such relieving words before.

“Oh god, you finally woke up…” Kakashi is still in disbelief, wanting to throw himself at Obito in happiness, if only the latter’s torso and head aren't still wrapped in bandages all over. “Ah, let me call for the doctor―”

“Wait―” Obito stops him, fingers enclosing around his wrist.

“Huh?”

“Just… I feel like I’ve slept for forever… I want a few quiet moments to myself before the doctor and nurses come in to check on me, you know?”

“Oh, okay…” Kakashi settles down onto the chair, smiling happily. “I can’t believe you really woke up! I guess all my prayers did come true!”

“Yeah, I guess so…” He reaches a hand up to feel the bandages wrapped around his head. “Why… Why is my head injured? I remember getting shot…”

“Ah, after the second shot, you fell backward and hit your head on the edge of the glass table,” Kakashi explains. “That was why you were in a coma, because you got a concussion and there were internal blood clotting. The doctors did remove them, but your brain was still damaged, and they weren’t sure if you would wake up… But you did!”

“Hmn…”

“Obito…?” Kakashi blinks, noticing the quiet look on the other’s face.

“I guess that explains why…”

“Why what?”

“I think… I’m… starting to remember.”

“W―What?” Kakashi freezes at the statement. “Remember… what?”

“It’s all still hazy, but…” Obito clutches at his own head again, wincing as if in pain. “I remember… standing in a large room… hundreds of people before me, awaiting my orders… I remember sitting on a throne of some sorts… and you―you were there…”

Kakashi can only stare with wide eyes as Obito pretty much describes the moment when he properly inducted Kakashi into Akatsuki, almost two years ago, now.

“Only bits and pieces are coming back to me, but I do remember… flashes of when I was… the boss of Akatsuki…”

“When you were the boss of Akatsuki…” Kakashi echoes blankly.

“Yeah…” The other gazes up at Kakashi, eyes grim. “Now the question is… what would you do… if I really regained all my memories back…?”

“I―What I would do…”

Kakashi suddenly has a bone-chilling flashback to just three weeks ago, when he had pleaded to Obito’s comatose body.

 _I’ll do anything for you to wake up,_ he had proclaimed.

“I’m getting a lighter sentence because I couldn’t remember anything, right?” the other continues, not noticing Kakashi’s rigid figure. “But if I do… will you tell on me? Will you hand me back to the court to get re-trialled?”

“I―” There are nimble fingers wrapping themselves around his arm as Kakashi is tugged forward, palms bracing himself onto either sides of the older as he leans over him.

“What will you do when that time comes?” The other’s lips are brushing right onto Kakashi’s ear, breath tickling his skin tantalizingly as he whispers, “‘Kashi.”

And when Kakashi hears that one simple word, only two syllables long and is nothing but a nondescript pet name, yet holds so much meaning―so much implication―he instantly knows.

 _Obito_ is back.

☩

“Your diagnosis seems to be fine,” the doctor is saying as he glances at the clipboard in his hand. “The internal damage from the gunshot had healed during the time you were comatose, and everything looks to be in order. We’ll monitor you for a week more and if there are no further concerns with your head, you may check out.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Kakashi watches the doctor and nurse leave the room before Asuma comes in.

“Hello, Mr. Uchiha,” the man drones blandly, clearly displeased at being courteous at the man he’s facing. “Since the doctor said you have recovered well enough for us to take your testimony of the night you were injured, may I do it now?”

“Sure,” his lover gives a friendly smile back, but no less bland, and Kakashi holds back a sigh. He signals Asuma that he’ll be outside, since he was also a victim in the incident and cannot follow up this specific case as a result.

He finds Umino Iruka, one of his new coworkers, just recently graduated the police academy, right outside the door.

“You’re not going to help Asuma?”

“Nah.” The other shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m sure he can handle it on his own.”

“You know Asuma doesn’t like the victim, right?” Kakashi raises an eyebrow. “You should be inside to… guard him in case anything happens.”

“You mean in case Asuma beats up your lover in a fit of rage, right?” Iruka gives a cheeky grin.

Kakashi crosses his arms, choosing not to answer.

Ten minutes pass before Asuma stomps outside. “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

“Eh? You’re not going to stay here to guard?” Kakashi asks the other.

“The last thing I’d want to do is to waste my night guarding outside a hospital room to protect a member of Akatsuki, especially their boss,” Asuma grumbles, gesturing for Iruka to follow him. “I’m sure the security guards the police have set up around the premise is suffice enough to protect him anyways. And if anything does happen, there is always our talented Superintendent here with perfect aim to shoot down anyone threatening him, right?”

“Asuma…” Kakashi frowns in disapproval.

“Sorry, Kakashi,” Asuma concedes. “I like you, but just―not―Akatsuki, you know?”

Kakashi sighs, waving them both away before walking back into the room.

“Did they leave?” the older man asks as Kakashi sits down on the chair.

“Yeah. There are still half a dozen men stationed just outside this door, though, and many more guarding the entrance and exit, so no one suspicious can come in.”

“No one suspicious can come in,” the other asks, tilting his head, “or no one suspicious can come out? Are you guarding to protect me, or protect others from me?”

Kakashi gulps, staring at the other. “Obito…” he mumbles.

“Have you already told your coworkers about my returned memories?” Obito looks around the room, and Kakashi can guess what he’s inspecting for.

“Since this is a private, VIP room, there are no security cameras placed in here.”

A slow spread of a smirk forms at his words, and Kakashi is confused as to why. “What about soundproof? Is this room one?”

“I’m… not sure? It probably is…”

Obito only keeps his smirk on as he gazes out the window, the sun shining outside.

“Obito…” Kakashi calls, staring at him searchingly. “Do you… really remember everything?”

“Not everything,” Obito answers him. “Bits and pieces. Memories take time to recover, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Are you disappointed I’ve returned? Do you miss the new Obito?”

Kakashi gnaws on his lip, torn. On one hand, Obito without his past memories had been perfect and it had been like a dream, living so peacefully with the man like that.

But on the other hand…

“Do you miss Obito being clueless and unassuming so you could go outside and do whatever you wanted?”

“Huh?” Kakashi blinks.

“I might not remember everything,” Obito starts, “but I seem to recall you and a certain someone kissing before me.”

Kakashi flinches. “No Obito, that was―”

“Did you think, because that Obito was amnesic, that it was easier to deal with him then? That since he was under house arrest and locked in your house 24/7, you could go around and do anything you wanted outside, and he wouldn’t know? That you could go fuck other people, and _I_ wouldn’t know?”

“No, no, I didn’t―” Kakashi is starting to panic at the flash inside the older’s orbs, gleaming ominously. He recognizes this, this is―

“You think because that Obito was so gullible and easily deceivable, that I wouldn’t know? That you could kiss Konan right in front of my eyes and I’d just accept it and say ‘It’s okay’?”

―Obito’s fury whenever he sees Kakashi with anyone else―his wrath of jealousy, and what results from that is always―

“Obito―”

“Strip.”

―Kakashi’s punishment.

“H―Huh?”

“I said strip. Or are you too afraid to show me the marks someone else has made on your body?”

“I didn’t let anyone touch me!” Kakashi protests. “I didn’t do anything with Konan!”

“Oh really?” Obito raises an eyebrow. “Then can you tell me that Konan has never touched you, kissed you, or do anything else, before, even disregarding the time when she kissed you right in front of me in your apartment? Or maybe you’ve been fooling around with Minato too behind my back?”

“No, Obito, I swear, I wouldn’t―”

“Strip.”

“Obito―”

“Now!” Obito bellows, voice startlingly loud inside the barren room, and for a second, he truly hopes that this room is soundproof, otherwise…

“Are you disobeying me? You won’t listen to me anymore? Hmn, ‘Kashi? You’re going to be a bad boy?”

Kakashi jerks his head up in horror. “N―No, I…”

“And I’ve told you what bad boys deserve, right? They deserve punishment. Now strip.”

Silence.

“Did you also forget I don’t like repeating myself?”

Kakashi looks at the older in distress. Stripping right inside the hospital room where there are half a dozen guards stationed outside that can come in at anytime…?

“ _Kakashi_ ,” Obito murmurs dangerously, the last warning.

And this is starting to feel so familiar: Obito’s pitch-black orbs boring right into him, swirling maniacally and magnetizing, almost as if they’re trying to suck Kakashi into their depths. Obito is only in simple, white hospital clothes, but he looks no less intimidating and commanding than when he hovered over Kakashi on the King chair that day and declared to the hundred or so men present that Kakashi was his.

No one else’s.

And Kakashi, for some reason, found a sick sense of satisfaction in that.

Wretched pleasure at how possessive Obito was over him.

Pure bliss that whatever Obito did, it was all for him.

And maybe he is crazy too, no less fucked up than Obito, but then again, that’s a fact he already established a long time ago, right?

So he keeps their gaze locked onto each other’s when his hands reach up and pry the buttons to his white, pristine collar shirt apart.

The fabric drifts down softly onto the ground once it slips off his shoulders.

Obito doesn’t say anything, just giving him a waiting look.

So Kakashi starts on his pants next, and that, too, slides down his thighs, pooling at his feet.

Obito still hasn’t said anything, only tilts his head at him, so Kakashi takes a gulp of air before taking off his underwear, the last piece.

Now he stands, completely naked, in front of Obito.

“Come here, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi comes.

“Hmn,” Obito hums, raking his gaze up and down Kakashi’s bare body. “I’d like to inspect your body but I’m injured. You’re not going to make me do all the work, are you?”

“…What do you want me to do then?”

“Climb up here and get on your hands and knees, facing opposite of me. I want you to show me yourself if you really kept true to me.”

Kakashi looks at Obito shakily, but obeys. He swings a leg over the other’s torso so that he properly straddles his stomach, hovering over him, but facing the end of the bed instead.

“You really didn’t let anyone touch you?” Before Kakashi can reply, he feels a hand on his buttcheek and something wet—Obito’s thumb?—tracing around the rim of his entrance, just a soft touch, and Kakashi bites back a moan.

“N—No...”

“During the whole month I was comatose, you were free, weren’t you? Did you spend all that time fucking with Konan? Or Minato? Or whoever else you’ve managed to seduce?”

“How can you say that?” Kakashi cries, burying his face into his palms. “I was so worried for you… I thought you might die… that you might leave me again… How could I think of anyone else during then?”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“That still doesn’t detract from the fact that you let Konan touch you, though.”

“I didn’t let her do anything! I don’t like her that way.”

“You don’t have to like someone to do it, though.” Kakashi lets out a gasp as Obito places a gentle kiss on his tailbone, breath ghosting across his sensitive skin. “Didn’t you let me fuck you just to get into Akatsuki? You didn’t like me back then.”

“But I…” Kakashi whispers, voice hoarse. “But I love you…”

“Then spread yourself and show me you haven’t let anyone touch you in your most intimate place,” Obito commands.

With a hiccup, Kakashi braces himself on one elbow as the other hand reaches back, behind himself, to brush lightly against his entrance.

“Obito…”

“I told you, I’m injured. I’m not going to do anything. You are.”

With trembling lips, he extends his thumb and middle finger out, across his rim, spreading the hole out so Obito can see inside of him.

“What a pink, pretty color. It certainly doesn’t look like it’s been abused recently, hmn?” Obito comments as he stares at stretched, puckered hole right in front of him. “Now put a finger in.”

With another hiccup, Kakashi retracts his hand to suck at it, gathering saliva around the digits before reaching behind again. Slowly, he puts an index finger inside him, exhaling at the intrusion.

“Is it tight, ‘Kashi? How does it feel to touch inside of yourself?”

“I―I don’t know―” Kakashi mumbles hazily. Even after all this time, he’s still never really used to fingering himself. Obito usually does it, and Kakashi likes it when the older takes care of him, likes giving himself to the older and letting him do whatever he wants to Kakashi, because Kakashi knows he’ll feel good regardless.

“You know I’m not used to this…”

“But it’s hot, watching you spread yourself.” Then there are two strong palms grabbing both of Kakashi’s thighs, pulling them farther apart.

“Ah―”

“Another finger.”

Kakashi’s thighs are trembling at Obito’s secured grips on them, keeping his legs forcibly spread apart, making his hole swells even more. A middle finger is inserted inside, Kakashi sighing softly at the feeling of the digits inside him, rubbing at his own walls.

“This is such a nice, first-class view, ‘Kashi,” Obito observes. Even though Kakashi can’t see the older in this position, he can almost hear the slow slick sound of Obito’s tongue licking over his lip gleefully.

“Obito, please stop teasing me…”

“I’m not, I’m punishing you,” Obito replies easily. “It’s too bad we’re at the hospital, so there aren’t really any toys to use on you, hmn? Or maybe I can just fuck you with one of those test tubes in the cabinet next to the bed.”

Kakashi shudders instantly at the suggestion. “N―No, that’s so dirty―”

“And you think Konan kissing you isn’t dirty?” Obito snaps, a slap against his butt, the jolting accidentally sending the fingers inside the younger deeper, hitting right onto his prostate.

“Ah―!” Kakashi lets out an unconscious moan at the pleasure. Ever since Obito was hospitalized, he hasn’t had sex, and it’s been too long since he can feel that brush of pleasure again.

“That’s right, moan out loud so everyone outside can hear what a slut you are to get fucked, even by your own fingers.”

“No―!” Kakashi gasps, remembering where they are, but before he can react, his eyes widen impossibly when there is another finger jamming its way inside him, curling deliciously right onto his spot. “Haa―Obito, wait―”

“Do you want me to pull out? When your ass is clenching onto me so desperately?” When the other crams another in, Kakashi outright sobs at how there are four fingers inside him now, and he feels so full―so stuffed. “Well, at least this means you probably didn’t let anyone touch you during the time I was comatose, otherwise you wouldn’t be so slutty for this, hmn?”

“Obito, please, Obito―” The younger is getting dizzy, too overwhelmed with the onslaught of pleasure. He wants to take his two own useless fingers out, but he doesn’t want to make Obito angry again.

“Do you feel how soft you are inside, ‘Kashi? You can feel around yourself, right? Isn’t it warm and tight and just makes you want to stay there forever? Is this why so many people are taken over you? Is this why they all want to fuck you, when you’re mine?”

Obito punctuates this with another jab against his prostate, and Kakashi’s wail echoes across the blank white walls of the room.

He can only pray this room really is soundproof, but honestly, he doesn’t know if he cares anymore, if anyone happens to come in and sees him ass up, face buried into the mattress as four fingers are jammed up his hole, half from his own and half from Obito.

Because―Because this feels so good―Obito always knows how to make him feel good to the point of driving him crazy, driving him desperate, driving him to crave the other’s cock so badly.

And he wants it. For Obito’s hot cock to push through him, impaling him right where he wants it the most.

“Obito, please…”

“Please what?” Obito questions as his fingers leisurely play with Kakashi’s walls, the other hand stroking Kakashi’s thigh dotingly.

“Please fuck me…”

“Hmn... Have you been good enough to deserve my cock?” Obito asks sweetly, voice thick like honey. “Tell me, ‘Kashi.”

“Obito—“

“Your hole is certainly being good for me, all soft and fluttering around my fingers like velvet, but… Are _you_ being good for me? Do you deserve my cock? After daring to kiss Konan right in front of my eyes?”

“I told you, I didn’t want that to happen―Ah―!” This time, he screams when his fingers are jerked suddenly, being ripped away from his hole. Obito’s fingers are also retracting, and Kakashi is about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he’s finally going to get Obito’s cock inside him, when Obito speaks.

“Get up.”

“H―Huh?”

“Open that cabinet. Let’s see if there is anything inside that I can use to punish you.”

“O―Obito―”

“Be quiet, ‘Kashi,” Obito warns, grabbing a fistful of Kakashi’s ass, giving it a firm squeeze. “I’m still not yet placated. Now move it before I get more mad, hmn?”

When Kakashi turns around, he purses his lips at the aloof, dark expression on the older’s face, clearly giving him no other choices except this.

With a small, pathetic noise in the back of his throat, Kakashi gets up with shaky legs and stumbles to stand in front of the medical cabinet, opening it warily.

“Now let’s see… What clean, unsullied tools in a hospital room can I use to fuck you with? Do you have any suggestions, ‘Kashi?”

Chisels. Clamps. Curettes. Gouges. Needles. Scissors. And various sharply-shaped other instruments.

Kakashi stares inside the cabinet, mind whirling at all the different things Obito can do to him using any of these tools.

Inhaling quietly, he shuts the cabinet door and walks back to the bed.

“Obito,” he calls out, climbing back on top of his thighs, careful not to touch his upper stomach where the gunshot was. “Let’s not do that.”

The other man quirks an eyebrow. “Oh? And why should we not?”

“Because you know I always like it best when it’s just us two,” Kakashi replies airily, wrapping fingers around Obito’s cock, stroking it back to life. “You know I like it best when you take me raw, with no need for superfluous things. When it’s just your cock inside me.”

“But it’s supposed to be your punishment,” Obito points out, but it’s all trifles, really. He’s trying to make Kakashi work for it more, which he does when he bends down and licks kittinishly at the cock, letting his saliva drip down to the base in lieu of the lack of lube.

“Pleaaaase?” Kakashi whines, taking just the head inside his mouth and sucking on it eagerly, making sure to puff out his cheeks as he looks up at Obito beseechingly. His hair and body is sticky with sweat, face flushed and behind arched slightly, and he probably looks pretty wrecked right now, which obviously turns Obito on.

When Kakashi starts to slather his tongue right onto the slit, Obito chuckles, apparently satisfied, and asks, “Then, what do you suggest we do?”

Kakashi smiles around the cock haughtily before sliding his mouth off it with a wet pop! “I’ll ride you instead,” he declares.

Kakashi knows Obito knows Kakashi doesn’t do this very often, preferring for Obito to do most of the work, twisting and bending a yielding Kakashi any which position the older man likes while Kakashi simply takes it like a good boy. And maybe that’s why it’s such an effective bargaining tool.

“Are you sure your pretty little ass can handle it?” Obito slides a hand around to caress his behind, and Kakashi lets out a moan at the touch.

Kakashi knows Obito is referring to the spanking earlier, so he confidently says, “My ass can take a lot more just for your cock.”

That’s apparently the correct answer for Obito, for he leans back onto the headboard and relaxes his body, awaiting.

Taking his cue, Kakashi rubs at the cock a bit more, spreading the slick around, before hovering his body and sinking down in one go.

“Ahh…” Kakashi exhales softly, closing his eyes and taking in the feeling. This is the first time he’s having sex ever since Obito was shot and comatosed, and he’s just basking in the feeling of being filled again, so familiar.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, ‘Kashi.”

Kakashi opens his eyes to find Obito gazing directly at him, and it sends another thrill down his vein.

“I’m thinking of how much I’ve missed this,” Kakashi tells him honestly.

“How much a cock is fucking inside you?” Obito emphasizes with a sudden thrust upward, pulling a gasp out of Kakashi.

“No,” Kakashi mumbles as he starts lifting himself up and down, riding him as promised. “How much your cock is fucking me.”

“Really,” Obito says, voice low and deep, reaching a hand out to thumb Kakashi’s bottom lip.

“Yes, Obito, you know I only love you. I would never let anyone else touch me,” Kakashi replies, leaning forward to kiss Obito, which the latter responds.

“I don’t know,” Obito murmurs against his lips as the kiss breaks. “You’ve grown so much… I can’t control you anymore.”

“You know that’s not true,” Kakashi murmurs back, placing soft pecks all over Obito’s cheek and down his neck. “I’ll always be your good little boy, because that’s how you want me, right?”

“Is that how you want yourself?” Obito challenges back.

Kakashi simply tilts his head with an innocent smile. “Yes. Because I’ll always do whatever you want me to do, be whatever you want me to be. Isn’t that how it’s always been between us?”

Obito looks unconvinced, but Kakashi doesn’t care.

He braces two palms onto the older’s shoulders. “You know, the new Obito was the perfect man,” he whispers close to Obito’s ear while the latter holds him by the hips. “The perfect dream. The perfect life. The perfect ideal. But if I’m being honest, I missed _you_ , too. After all, you were the one I fell in love with, not the perfect Obito.”

Obito’s face is undecipherable, simply staring deep into Kakashi’s eyes at his confession, but Kakashi doesn’t care about that, either.

“I love you, Obito,” Kakashi continues, undeterred. “And I know… that you love me, too,” he finishes, giving Obito one last sincere smile before he starts bouncing onto Obito’s cock more vigorously, letting moans spill out from his lips unashamedly and losing himself to the pleasure.

The hands on his hips tighten before he hears Obito say, “Did you really miss my cock that much, baby?”

“Yes―” Kakashi barely manages to reply when the older man physically lifts him up, the cock slipping out of his hole with a squelching pop! “Wha―” He doesn’t get much more than that when the same hands slam him down, impaling him onto the waiting cock below a second after.

Obito laughs heartily, giving his lips a peck. “You’re so cute. Now be a good boy and let me take it from here, hmn?” Obito says as he proceeds to thrust up into Kakashi, jolting Kakashi’s whole body off the older’s before he falls down and embeds himself onto Obito again. Kakashi lets out a startled moan as gravity lets him fall down right onto Obito’s cock just waiting for him with every push.

“O―Obito―” Kakashi stutters, fingers curling into Obito’s shoulders in pleasure when he is being bounced up and down by force. Every time he falls down, Obito meets him with a snap of his hips, plunging deep inside him and knocking directly onto his prostate dead on, filling his nerves with estacy and overwhelming pleasure.

“So you prefer this?” Obito murmurs in his ear, face barely breaking a sweat even as he uses his strength to physically lift Kakashi up every thrust―Kakashi’s legs have turned into jelly by now, flopping useless by the older’s thighs as he is hurled up and down. Kakashi himself is drenched in sweat, face flushing a dark red. “Prefer me to fuck you hard like this? Bouncing on my cock like a good, little boy? You like this, ‘Kashi?”

“I do―Ah, Obito―” Kakashi’s words break off into a moan, hands grasping onto the other’s shoulders for anchor as his sweet spot is hit repeatedly, mind spinning with pure, unadulterated pleasure.

“You’re driving me insane,” Obito grunts, a deep, low sound. Teeth scrape across the curve of his jaw until they trail down. “When you surrender yourself, when you just give yourself to me like this. God, you’re so fucking amazing.”

“Y—Yes, just for you,” Kakashi says, almost a whine when he feels Obito plant open-mouthed kisses on his neck and shoulder, nibbling hard on the skin and soothing it with his tongue after every bite.

“You did good, baby,” Obito whispers as soon as he pulls away, licking the newly-marked skin. “You did so well. I know you’ve been faithful to me. You’re the best boyfriend I could ever ask for,” he continues to coo as he cards a hand softly through Kakashi’s locks, nudging him towards to connect their lips together.

And Kakashi lets him, too drained to give a proper response back as he opens his mouth for Obito to slip his tongue in.

“You did so well,” Obito repeats, murmuring with every kiss to Kakashi’s lips. “Always so good for me. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Kakashi croaks, voice cracking. The other simply gives him a small, amused smile as he takes Kakashi’s lips again, tongue delving in deep.

“Come for me, ‘Kashi,” Obito breathes against his lips, wrapping a hand around Kakashi’s dripping member, stroking it in time as he resumes the thrusts, and Kakashi is able to take a few more seconds of overwhelming pleasure until he is gone.

“Obito, Obito, I’m―Oh―!” His body shudders and his world blacks out for a moment. When he comes to, Obito is still slamming himself in and Kakashi writhes from overstimulation.

“Obito—“ Kakashi mewls, voice shaking from from the intensity of the pleasure, each thrust forcing out more cum from his oversensitive cock.

"Let’s make you come again, hmn?" Obito whispers, persistently thrusting himself up as his hand resumes jerking Kakashi off, making Kakashi twitch from too much sensitivity. He takes one of Kakashi's nipples into his mouth, flicking at the sensitive bud while he rubs the other with his free hand, pulling and pinching at it teasingly. “A good boy deserves a reward.”

“Obito—I—“ Kakashi’s words morph into a sob, hands holding on tighter to Obito, breathing shallow as his stomach rises and falls erratically. All sense is dripping from his grasp, fingers trembling weakly along with his thighs.

"Come on, baby,” Obito grunts, swiping out his tongue over Kakashi’s nipple and insistenly pressing the wet muscle into the tip. “You’re a good boy for me, aren’t you? Come for me again."

“Ah—Ah—“ Kakashi wheezes as he throws his head back, eyes squeezing shut and breath hitching and stuttering with every thrust. His entire self feels like pleasure and too much of it, ecstacy swallowing him up whole. He can feel string of drool drips out from the corner of his mouth but he can’t find it in himself to care.

With a groan, Obito finally shoots his cum into Kakashi, a delectable wet warmth filling Kakashi up. He feels it drip down his walls as Obito continues thrusting to ride out his high. Rubbing his thumb into Kakashi’s slit, his gesture pushes Kakashi over the edge and Kakashi comes a second time, white slickly dripping from his tip as he pants heavily, eyes squinted shut with hot tears pooling from the pleasure.

Obito wipes them away with a chuckle before leaning forward to lick Kakashi's cum off his nipple, causing the latter’s body to jolt. “Obito, please,” he whimpers hoarsely.

“Alright, alright,” Obito acquiesces, pressing a kiss to Kakashi’s forehead before guiding Kakashi’s head to rest onto his shoulder.

☩

The sun is starting to set when Kakashi is dressed properly, head still resting onto Obito’s shoulder while the latter is leaning against the head of the hospital bed.

It’s pretty, the sunset, and Kakashi inhales calmly, watching it through the window and enjoying the quiet moment between them.

“Kashi,” Obito speaks up once the sun has pretty much disappeared over the horizon.

“Hmn?”

“You told me once,” Obito starts, “that all you want now, is for us to be together, peacefully.” Kakashi flutters his eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of Obito’s fingers threading through his hair. “Do you still want to start over? For real this time. You know, like Nagato and Yahiko, but somewhere far, far away.”

Kakashi doesn’t answer immediately.

He opens his eyes and catches the sight of a ligther lying on the bedside table right in front of him—Asuma probably left it there while he was interrogating Obito earlier.

Kakashi doesn’t smoke, but he knows Obito does. However, during the months he was under house arrest, he didn’t touch a cigarette at all.

Kakashi knows Obito doesn’t have an addiction―he has much more self-control than losing himself to the likes of drugs or alcohols, but surely it must be hard, to go for months without smoking when you’re used to, before? To let himself be put in a house arrest, not being able to go out at all and meeting only Kakashi for almost six months?

Surely it must be hard, to lose the millions-dollars worth mansion with the waterfall right inside the living room, to lose the thousands of members in Akatsuki, to lose all the wealth and fame and power, just for one person?

Surely it must be hard, to lose everything you’ve built up for years and years, just for Kakashi?

Kakashi’s mind slowly drifts back to the words Obito told him the day he had wanted to mark Kakashi’s skin with a knife.

_“But just as I know the things within your limits, I know the ones outside it, too,” Obito finally says. “I know there are things you would never agree to do, so I would never ask you them.”_

_“Things I won’t do?”_

_“Like you leaving the police force and joining me. Or us running away together and starting a new life somewhere. Or,” Obito leans in, lips a breath’s away from his own, “of you forgetting the past. Of you forgiving me for what I did.”_

“I thought it was silly,” Obito’s voice brings him back to the present, “for Nagato to leave everything behind and choose to run away with Yahiko. But what happened in Ame made me realize that you really don't belong in this world. The mafia is too dangerous for you—I have a lot of enemies and everyone knows you’re my one and only weakness. They’re going to keep using you as a bait or blackmail to get to me. A second too late on my part could cost you your life. I just... After everything we’ve been through, I’d rather do that, too—taking you somewhere no one from our past can find us—than having to lose you.” The arm around his Kakashi’s shoulder tightens. “I can’t lose you, ‘Kashi.”

 _Neither can I_ , Kakashi replies in his head. If Obito had asked this of him before what happened in Ame—before Kakashi was faced with a couple of situations where he was so close to losing Obito forever—he wouldn’t have agreed to it, just like what Obito had predicted.

A part of him had judged Yahiko for choosing Nagato over justice, too, back then. But now that he’s experienced it firsthand, he knows that a life without Obito by his side wouldn’t be a life worth living. If he refuses and they go separate ways, they’ll probably stand on opposing sides sooner or later, where he will have to choose between justice and Obito all over again.

Where he will have to choose between justice and his happiness.

_“There is no telling of tomorrow. Lives are taken away in the blink of an eye, as easy as plucking an apple from a tree. You never know when you’re going to die. And most importantly… you never know when the people who matter to you most are going to die.”_

He still vividly remembers the words Nagato told him when Yahiko was in a coma more than a year ago.

He had spent nearly nine years of his life on trying to avenge his father, would it be wrong, if he chose to be selfish and wanted to be happy with Obito now despite everything the man has done? Is it okay for them to be happy when they are both so fucked up?

Kakashi doesn’t know.

But it does sound nice. Starting a new life together somewhere far away—somewhere no one would recognize them. Like the past six months, except Obito won’t have to be locked up inside the house 24/7.

He had felt so sorry for Obito when the latter was always stuck, _imprisoned,_ inside Kakashi’s apartment. It had made his chest ache, to see the older man without his wings.

But at the same time... if Obito does grow his wings again, and he is free to fly again....

_“I’ll be the first one to stop him if that happens.”_

Obito is back, but all he wants now is to be with Kakashi. Just the two of them. Somewhere far away.

He’s willing to leave Akatsuki behind. For Kakashi.

Obito is alive and holding him inside his embrace, Kakashi basking in the feeling of being able to feel the heartbeats underneath his palm resting on top of Obito’s chest and the warmth radiating from the older man.

It feels like _home_ —always has—and Kakashi thinks there’s no other place he’d rather be.

Minato will understand, right? As long as Kakashi is happy and Obito doesn’t do bad things anymore?

Yahiko surely will understand, too.

And for Obito to suggest this, it must mean he knew Kakashi would agree to it. Knowing Obito, he must already have everything planned out, too.

So, after a long moment of contemplating, Kakashi lifts his head off Obito’s shoulder and smiles up at the other. “I’ll go wherever you go.”

Obito’s eyes soften as he graps the side of Kakashi’s face, gently caressing the skin with his fingers. “Your life would’ve been much less convoluted if I hadn’t walked into your life,” he whispers.

Kakashi has nothing to say to that. Because he isn’t sure. After all, Obito did save and ruin him at the same time.

Even if Obito had stood by and watched like Minato did that day nine years ago, Madara would’ve still killed his father, like Obito had said. And god knows what the old man and his lackeys would’ve done to Kakashi.

“I wish I could let you go,” Obito adds after a moment, nothing but sincerity in his dark orbs. “But I love you so much. I’m sorry, ‘Kashi.”

At this, Kakashi smiles. “I don’t want you to let me go.”

And when Obito gives him a soft smile back, pulling him into a sweet kiss, Kakashi’s heart is finally at peace for the first time in nine years.

He was telling the truth—Obito with no memories of the past had been the perfect man, but deep down, Kakashi was still in constant worry about what would happen to them if Obito ever regained his memories. He’s got his answers, now. It feels like a dam had unleashed, like a weight had been lifted off, no longer suffocating him.

☩

TWO MONTHS LATER,

“He’s happy, if that’s what you’re asking.” Obito chuckles at the person on the other line. “And I intend to keep it that way, so don’t worry. Thanks for your help, Kisame.”

He’s just about to end the call when he hears a click from the front door.

“I’m home,” a voice shouts across the walls, and he leisurely walks into the hallway, slipping his cellphone into his pocket.

“There was a sale in the supermarket—“ Kakashi’s voice halts, bags slipping from his hands down to the floor as Obito comes up to him and crushes him into a hug suddenly.

“O—Obito?”

“I missed you,” he breathes, fingers carding through the soft locks of Kakashi’s hair as his other hand slides around his waist.

“I was only gone for what, an hour?” Kakashi replies, cracking a teasing grin at him when they pull back to gaze at each other.

He only returns the smile, palm sliding down to stroke at Kakashi’s cheek gently. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” Kakashi replies, his grin morphing into a smile, pretty crescent eyes and flushed cheeks. “I love you, too. But you’re being so cheesy right now, god.”

“I will tell you every second of every day, because it’s all true,” he tells the other quietly before leaning in and connecting their lips together.

And as he feels the pliant, soft lips of Kakashi’s parting, easily letting him inside, he knows one thing.

He can’t live without this.

He can’t live without Kakashi by his side. Can’t live without being able to see him, to touch him, to feel him.

He guides the younger man slowly backward, back hitting the wall and Kakashi simply just yields beautifully beneath him, sweet moans getting swallowed up inside Obito’s mouth. Obito finds he can’t stop kissing him, can’t stop tangling their tongues together, drunk on the intoxicating taste that is purely just Kakashi’s.

And in that one single moment, it hits him clearer than ever before. Like a trainwreck. A planecrash.

Obito will do anything to keep Kakashi by his side.

Anything at all.

And he will destroy everyone and everything who can break them apart, regardless of any consequences.

_Everyone can die and this world can burn. Nothing else matters to me as long as I have you in my arms._

There’s a hand on his chest, signaling him to halt his ministrations. Obito pulls back, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man.

“Obito,” Kakashi starts a little breathlessly. “You know that I’ll always want to be with you, right?”

Obito lets out a chuckle, brushing a thumb against Kakashi's cheek. “Of course, baby. I would do anything for us to be together, too.”

Kakashi shakes his head. “Do you remember, you asked me something before, once. You asked me, ‘Tell me what you want.’ Do you remember what my answer was?”

He does. But he doesn’t know why Kakashi is suddenly asking him this question.

“I said,” Kakashi answers for him, reaching up for Obito’s hand and interlacing their fingers. “I said, ‘You. I just want you. No lies, no pretenses, no games. Just _you_ , the person underneath all the facade.”

Obito can feel his smile falter, and Kakashi must’ve noticed it too, but the younger’s soft smile only spreads wider over his lips.

“I’m happy with the way things are, now. And I hope you are, too. Being able to be with you like this is more than enough for me. You don’t have to do anything to keep my by your side, because I’ll always be here. You always say that you can’t live without me, well, it’s the same for me, too. So, let’s just stay like this, okay? Don’t do anything that will make me lose you.”

The smile Kakashi is giving him is blinding, and Obito can feel warmth blooming in his chest. It’s a pleasant warmth—one he’d never felt in his life prior to meeting Kakashi at Tsuki no Me two years ago, now—but there’s something aching about it.

The smile looks so radiant and mesmerizing. _So sincere._ It makes Kakashi look even more beautiful than he already is. And Obito can’t help but feel pleased, relieved and sorry all at once, that Kakashi seems so genuinely happy to be here with him.

He’s sorry for being so fucked up he can’t give Kakashi a normal life. He’s sorry for trapping Kakashi with him when he’s perfectly aware that the younger man deserves so much better. But he can’t let him go.

Because Obito can’t live without Kakashi.

He’d been the reason why Kakashi’s life was ruined, and yet when he was in danger, Kakashi didn’t even hesitate to put himself at risk to protect him—to protect a man who had hurt him over and over.

_“Because yes, it’s true, you did hurt me a lot in the past, but… But you also made me happy, too. And most importantly, you made me feel loved.”_

He can’t turn back the time, and he doesn’t think he could bring himself to wish he’d never met Kakashi all those years ago. He vows to keep Kakashi away from anyone who could hurt him, but he can’t keep Kakashi away from himself despite knowing that he’s probably the one who’s hurt Kakashi the most.

_Maybe in another life, I could be the perfect man for you. I could love you the way you deserve to be loved and give you the happiness you desperately wish for._

_I can’t let you go, so I’m going to do my best to keep you safe and happy._

_I am a sinner, a monster_ , he thinks as he returns Kakashi’s smile before bringing his lips to trail down the curve of Kakashi’s neck, fingers softly caressing the hot heat of the younger’s bare skin. _But let this love redeem me._

_Let me have you in my arms even if I know I don’t deserve it,_

_Kakashi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know what to say tbh LOL
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and support this fic until the very end! I know there must have been moments where you guys felt like strangling some of the characters (or me), so it really means a lot that so many of you still decided to stay. I hope the ending isn’t too disappointing lol. 
> 
> I know a sad ending probably would’ve been more fitting, but I’m too much of a softie for Obikaka. This ending probably feels... underwhelming for some of you guys. Honestly, I contemplated a lot while writing this fic whether to keep the ending I’d originally planned or come up with something that would make more sense, but I figured an ending that would make everyone happy is pretty much impossible for this fic. A tragic ending where Obito or Kakashi or both died would’ve been too cruel, but a happy one where everything was all sunshines and rainbows would’ve been too out of place, wouldn’t it? lol. 
> 
> I’m leaving a lot of things vague for a reason, so I might not be able to answer every question (if you guys have got any). So yeah, Kakashi chose to run away with Obito because well, it was a win-win situation for him lol. And Obito’s backstory in chapter 13, while it doesn’t excuse all the cruel things he did, I wanted to show that he was fucked up for a reason too, and why he couldn’t just miraculously become a good guy for Kakashi no matter how much he loves him—or whatever you’d call it. But well, he’s trying. Things like Obito’s amnesia, Minato’s reaction to Kakashi running away with Obito, Akatsuki’s future, and whether Konan or Itachi will really leave Obito and Kakashi alone are open for interpretation, too. Or I might write a sequel in the future. But definitely not anytime soon because I’ll be very busy now that my two month break is over and this fic was very draining both to write and to read, so I think we all deserve a break haha.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this fic and again, thank you so much, especially to everyone who’s been very supportive and has taken the time and effort to leave kudos and feedback throughout the journey. Feel free to ask if you still have any questions! I’ll try my best to answer.


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